Tale of the Conquered: Conqueror's Fact
by ShamanInk
Summary: To the victor go the spoils; however the victor also has the rights to tell the story and shine whatever light they want on their enemies. But, what if the conquerors weren't all that they seemed? AU. OOC. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey it's been a while since I posted something on here, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and this story has been in the back of my mind for a while now. Hopefully it will awaken the rest of my muses and I'll be able to continue the rest of my stories. As usual I own nothing but the OCs the rest belongs to J.K. Rowling. Anyway, read, review, and enjoy.

**Summary:** To the victor go the spoils; however the victor also has the rights to tell the story and shine whatever light they want on their enemies. But, what if the conquerors weren't all that they seemed? What if those who were defeated weren't who they had been portrayed to be? What would happen if the truth was stumbled upon by a studious bookworm? Bellamione! AndromedaxOC! Prejudice!Light. Shadesofgrey!Dark.

* * *

It was a chilly Saturday morning, Hermione woke to the scent of bacon and coffee. She was glad to have her own room this winter break, although she did feel a tad guilty for not spending it with Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Weasly's at the burrow. Her current hostess was a surprise to everyone, herself included, she hadn't imagined herself spending time here. Andromeda Tonks nee Black was the very opposite of her sisters: kind, gentle, caring, and genuine. The bookworm imagined that she must be lonely in the cottage, she was widowed during the first war and now here they were on the verge of a second. It was part of the reason why Hermione had taken the middle Black sister up on her offer, she remembered how lonely her start at Hogwarts had been, and for some reason almost everyone in The Order was content to let her be the odd man out so to speak. As Hermione brushed her teeth her mind drifted to the second reason she had readily accepted the offer for alternative housing, Ron. He had been acting strangely towards her, she pretended not to notice the sidelong glances and blatant stares he sent her way but it was beginning to be too much. She recalled how she had a fleeting crush on him in their third year, but she was quickly dissuaded of that notion as she watched him continually make an ass of himself for the remainder of that year and into their fourth.

She made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen, it was smaller than the one at the burrow, but it was also much cleaner. Andromeda sat at the table drinking a steaming cup of coffee while the thumbed through The Prophet. "Good morning Andromeda." she said as she made her way to the counter to grab a plate. The older woman looked up from the paper and smiled. "Good morning Hermione, how did you sleep?" Hermione down at the seat next to the older brunette, "Really well, don't get me wrong, I love Ginny, but god does she snore like a train." The women shared a chuckle and chatted as Hermione ate. Andromeda flicked her wand when her guest had finished and the dishes floated to the sink and began washing themselves. "Doing dishes was my least favorite chore as a child, I wish I had known that spell before Hogwarts." Hermione said lightheartedly. "Speaking of Hogwarts, I received an owl from Minerva, there is something she needs my assistance with. Would you like to go?" Hermione thought about it for a few moments before shaking her head, "I think I'll stay here, I saw several books in your study that seemed quite interesting, if you don't mind that is." Andromeda chuckled and replied, "Of course, I guess you probably read all of the books in the school's library. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, hopefully in time to make us both dinner." Hermione blushed at the tease and said goodbye before the older witch flooed to McGonagall's office.

Halfway through Followers and Warriors, a thick tome on battle tactics and formations that had both succeeded and failed when she started to become restless. She tried to ignore it but only made it through three more pages before sighing, marking her place and putting the book down. She silently blamed Harry for her inability to sit still in a new environment without thoroughly exploring. She started on the first floor and slowly made her way up. She hadn't really found anything of interest aside from several knives hidden on the first and second floors. Hermione was both relieved and disappointed of the results, rolling her eyes she started to walk back down the hallway to the stairs, but froze mid-step. She tilted her head back and squinted her eyes, something wasn't quite right about the ceiling. It took several minutes of staring but she finally noticed the small differences between the wood panels. They were almost identical, save for the slight discoloration that could be passed off as the wood aging, however the brains of the Golden Trio doubted that was the case. She slid her wand out from her sleeve and easily cast a _wingardium leviosa_, the discolored panels floated upwards and confirmed her suspicions: it was a door to an attic.

After transfiguring a chair in the study into a ladder, Hermione made her way into the attic muttering _lumos_ as she pulled herself up. It was larger than she had anticipated, but it was also cluttered. As she walked she read some of the labels of various boxes, most of which were full of Nymphadora's old clothes from varying stages of her childhood. Finding nothing particularly sinister, she turned around and headed back. A few feet from the hole in the floor, her foot snagged on something, she stumbled for a few steps but was able to right herself before she fell. She looked back to see what had been the cause of her near accident, a black chest was now sitting in the middle of the path. There didn't seem to be anything too special about it, _'Aren't the best places to keep secrets, the least suspecting?' _As she reached out to grab it she heard her name being called, _'Damn, I'll just have to take you with me.'_ She quickly shrunk the box and placed it in her pocket. Making sure to leave no indication that she had been in or even discovered the attic, Hermione quietly walked into the guest room and laid down on the bed. It was not but a few moments later that Andromeda walked in and shook her lightly on the shoulder. Pretending to rub the sleep from her eyes Hermione slowly sat up, "Oh, you're back." She silently hoped that her voice was scratchy enough to pass as having just woken. "Yes, but I've only just returned. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind keeping me company while I made dinner." The older woman didn't seem the least bit suspicious, and Hermione felt a little guilty for her deception. Hermione smiled and nodded, as she followed Andromeda down the hall her thoughts drifted to the item in her pocket. _'I'll find out what's in the chest tonight. The sooner I get it done, the better.'_

* * *

Bellatrix woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath as she sat up. It took her a moment to recognize her surroundings, she was no longer in Azkaban but at Malfoy Manor. Relief coursed through her veins, but even that recollection did little to quiet the whispers at the back of her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, but that only seemed to make them louder. Throwing off the covers and grabbing her wand she snuck through the Manor until she found the set of doors she was looking for. She got passed the wards after a few minutes of work, and quietly slipped into the room. Light snoring greeted her ears as she got closer to the bed, a messy head of blue hair was in a sea of plush green blankets was the source of the sound. She was about three feet from the bed when the snoring stopped, the occupant in the bed sat up with a snarl, and wand ready. Bellatrix took a step back and waited. Recognition dawned on the once hostile face and the wand was lowered. "Come on, I'd like to get back to sleep." they stated while pulling back the covers. Bellatrix rolled her eyes and climbed into bed. "Oh and Bella, if I wake up to your hand up my shirt again, I'm cutting it off." The crazed witch chuckled a bit, grateful that the whispers had abated, if only for a little while.

* * *

The chest had several simple wards on it, but nothing too advanced, making the brunette more suspicious. It was a good rouse for anyone looking for something glaringly obvious. Over the years she had discovered that the best place to hide something was in plain sight. Inside the chest there were dozens of news paper clippings, a leather bound journal, a beautiful ring, and a picture. It was the picture that Hermione studied first, Andromeda was much younger-maybe around her age- and happier than she had ever seen her, but she wasn't the only on in the photograph. The young Slytherin was sitting on an ornate chair, smiling genuinely into the camera, there was an arm wrapped around her shoulders as another woman settled on the arm of the chair smiling just as happily. They stayed that way for several seconds before the woman on the arm of the chair leaned down and whispered something to the younger Andromeda, who in turn blushed and looked away from the camera. Hermione watched the scene replay several more times before her need for sleep became too hard to ignore. She placed all the items back in the chest, shrunk it, and placed it under her pillow. She didn't know who the other woman in the picture was, but she was determined to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**A/N:** I churned this one out faster than expected, I'm debating on whether to post as I complete chapters, or post on a schedule. We'll see how it goes, for now I'm going to post on a schedule of two chapters on Saturday and Sunday. But if I type up more chapters it may change. Disclaimer is on the first chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing, let's keep that trend going. Enjoy.

* * *

Light streamed in through the curtains of the window of the room, the room's sole occupant groaned and rolled over, turning their back on the sun's rays. Hermione shut her eyes in a desperate attempt to go back to sleep. An attempt that was to be in vain, as a soft knock on her door let her know that sleeping any longer was not an option. She groaned and stretched as she sat up, "Come in." Instead of the head of dark brown curls she was expecting, she was treated to the sight of electric pink hair. "Morning Hermione, thought I'd pop in for a visit, mum sent me up her to fetch you for breakfast." Hermione smiled at the young Auror "I'll be right down, thanks Tonks." The young woman nodded at her and left. She sat on her bed and contemplated if she would be able to investigate the rest of the contents within the chest and still be down in time for breakfast. She sighed, knowing the answer was no and climbed out of bed. Ten minutes later she was in the kitchen, devouring some of the best pancakes she'd ever had. "So Hermione, what do you have planned for today?" Tonks asked as she pushed around the sausage on her plate. Hermione's thoughts immediately went to the chest, but she shook her head to that possibility, she was guessing that she would have to wait until nightfall once again."Nothing in particular, maybe read another book, or practice some different spells, plus I've still got to write Harry...and Ron." Tonks perked up at her response, "So nothing that needs to be done immediately then?" Hermione just shrugged and Andromeda raised an eyebrow curious as to where this conversation was headed. "Great, how'd you like to spend the day with me?" Tonks said with a grin, shocking the other women at the table.

"Are you sure you're allowed to do this? I don't want you to get in trouble." Hermione mumbled as she tugged at the collar of her borrowed Auror uniform. When Tonks had suggested they spend the day together, pretending to be an Auror in training and being taken out into the field wasn't what she had pictured, nor was it what Tonks had told her mother they would be doing. "Don't look so nervous, and technically no, but it's not actually written down anywhere. Plus, if anything goes down you'll be able o get in that practice you wanted, eh?" Tonks made the mistake of looking back at Hermione and ended up tripping over her own boot. Luckily, she was able to catch herself on the receptionist's desk. The man behind the desk didn't even bat an eye at the less than graceful display. "Can I help you, miss?" As Tonks and the man at the desk were talking Hermione glanced around the lobby. Hammerstone Enterprises was a well known corporation in the Muggle World, they were very charitable and were known for their stances on Human Rights, she was surprised a corporation like that was also thriving in a society like the Wizarding World. The brunette's train of thought was broken when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Concerned blue eyes met hazel, searching for any sign of distress. "You alright Hermione?" Tonks asked softly. The younger woman gave her a half smile, "Yeah, I was just thinking, this company is big in the Muggle World too." Tonk's face darkened a bit, "Things are different here." Before she had the chance to ask what the Auror meant, the receptionist appeared. "Right this way ladies." He drawled a he motioned for them to follow him to the lift. They took the lift to the second highest floor in the building, the man at the front desk didn't accompany them up, but there was another man waiting for them when the doors opened. "Follow me." he spoke gruffly. They walked down the hall and stopped at the set of large double doors. He then pulled out his wand and mumbled a few words, the doors opened and behind them was an extravagant office. As they stepped in the nameless man spoke again, "Our company head is not in today, but they are on call. Wait here." and with that he turned and left.

* * *

Bellatrix growled as she threw up her shield to block an incoming hex and quickly countered with several of her own. Her opponent laughed, gray eyes twinkling with mirth "Come now Bella, surely you can do better than that." Bellatrix narrowed her eyes and sneered, moments before unleashing a string of hexes. The last one was able to break through the shield, slicing her adversary's leg. She smiled victoriously as a small pool of blood began to form, she opened her mouth to say a few choice words. However, her taunt died on her tongue as she was hit in the chest by a forceful stunner and flew back several feet. Fighting against the grip of unconsciousness Bellatrix stood, swaying a bit once she was up right. Her competition faired no better, looking paler than usual and breathing heavily. It was time to end this match, she took a deep breath to center herself before she launched her next attack. Just as she was about to begin her assault, someone stepped between them. Both parties were thrown off by the interruption. The rest of the Death Eaters knew to stay clear when they practiced. "What is the meaning of this Cissa?" The Lady of The Manor looked to her eldest sister apologetically, "Sorry to cut this short," she then turned to the other occupant and continued, "but Tadrey is waiting outside with a message. He won't relay it to me so I can only assume it's urgent." "Damn, there must be something going on at the office." a frown formed as they pushed their hair out of their eyes, "Sorry Bella, we'll have to pick this up when I get back." Bellatrix crossed her arms, "And when will that be?" she huffed. "As soon as I can be."

* * *

It had been 30 minutes since they had been brought in the office to wait, Hermione had the distinct feeling that the company head was going to be a no-show. She glanced over to Tonks, her hair was currently a deep red and Hermione figured that they were both thinking along the same lines. She was about to break the tense silence when the doors opened. "Sorry I'm late, my last meeting ran a bit long," They said as they moved to the chair across from them. "I hope I didn't offend you but making you wait." they finished smoothly, now sitting in front of them, only a large desk separating the occupants. Tonks cleared her throat, "No, no offense was taken, although we were a bit worried you wouldn't show up." "I'm glad to hear it, now who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" Placing a hand on her chest Tonks replied, "I an Auror Nymphadora Tonks and this is..." she trailed off as she glanced over at Hermione and saw her expression. Hermione knew how she must look, but she couldn't help it. Not but hours ago she had sworn to find out the identity of the woman in the picture, and here she was, sitting right across from her. She was older, and her hair was different, but the blue seemed to fit her. She knew she had to say something, "I-I'm Auror in training Jean Granger." She wasn't sure why she had given her middle name instead, but it was too late to take it back now. The company head leaned back, studying both women for several moments. "I see, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, I am Lilith Bolton, company head and chairman of the board of directors here at Hammerstone. Now, why are there two Aurors in my office on one of my few days off?" She queried briskly. The change in attitude did not go unnoticed by either of the Aurors in question. Tonks bristled at the chairman's tone. "We're here to ask you to recount some information regarding the first Wizarding War and your whereabouts on the night of the Azkaban breakout." Hermione's head snapped towards Tonks before her eyes shifted to the woman behind the desk.

Lilith sighed, "If you wanted to rehash ancient history you could have just gone to the archives, I'm sure they have the court proceedings there on file. Although, you can never be sure with thekind of help they hire over at The Ministry. As for my whereabouts on that night, I was in Spain finalizing details for a merger, all three of my assistants and our new branch head would be able to vouch for me. Would you like me to give you their names?" Hermione's brow furrowed at the dismissive way they had been spoken to. _'How could this woman be the one who made Andromeda so happy?'_ "No, that won't be necessary. Thank you for your time." Tonks managed to say, keeping most of the anger from her voice. She stood and Hermione followed her lead, "We'll show ourselves out." Lilith made no move to stand or even shake their hands, she merely sat back and steepled her hands together. As they walked passed the doors Lilith's voice rang out, "Be careful on your way back home, things can get a bit dangerous when it's dark." Hermione had no idea what happened to the woman, but she knew that she was no longer the same person in that picture. Hermione did however, know where she could start looking for answers.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**A/N:** If you hadn't noticed this fic is extremely AU and shamelessly OOC. That will become more apparent after this chapter, just thought I should warn you. Thanks for all the new follows and favorites. I've kept you waiting long enough. Enjoy.

* * *

Tonks had come back to the cottage still angry about their meeting with Lilith, Hermione was able to cover for them, telling Andromeda that Tonks had been lectured at length by an elderly woman who didn't approve of her hair color choices. The story got a laugh out of the Auror's mother, who then brought up similar incidents throughout her daughter's life. Andromeda cooked a delicious roast with the help of the once again pink haired young woman, and Hermione was now thoroughly convinced that the second eldest Black could easily beat the Weasly Matriarch in a kitchen throw-down. After dinner she asked to be excused to write her friends, and she left the Tonks women to chat in the living room. She had written Harry's letter with ease, she felt like she was writing her younger brother who was away on holiday. Ron's was much more difficult, if Harry was her little brother at camp, then Ron was her strange cousin she was only forced to see at family reunions. She read over the message and sighed, she could tell it felt strained but she wasn't sure how to fix it. Her gaze moved lazily around the room until it landed on her pillow. Leaving Ron's letter on the desk, she made sure the door was closed and locked before reaching under the pillow and retrieving the chest. She flicked her wand and it returned to it's original size. Opening it she decided to examine the thick stack of newspaper articles.

:::::

**Knights of Shame: Death Eater Trails Begin**

Geoffrey Nottle

Times have been dark here in England as a war was waged.

Thankfully lighter times may be ahead as the disappearance of You-Know-Who became

more apparent as his most loyal followers stand accused of horrendous crimes.

Dozens of trials have been set for the suspected members of The Knights of Walpurgis,

better known as Death Eaters. Of the accused there are several members of families that

have been known to practice dark magic, such as: Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange,

Lucius Malfoy, Antonin Dolohov, Lilith Bolton, and Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black.

Perhaps this writer is a bit too optimistic, but the Wizarding World would no

doubt be much safer with such dark wizards and witches off the street.

:::::

Hermione stared at the first article, her mind reeling, most of The Dark Lord's inner circle had stood trial during the first war but there was almost no mention of Lilith that she could recall, from anyone. Lucius Malfoy had obviously gotten away with it; but had she? Skimming through the next several articles, who all either said relatively the same thing, or covered the lower level Death Eater's trails. She read the title for the next article and read further.

::::::

**Women of The Mark**

Florence Herdon

To say the results of the past three trials were shocking would be an understatement.

Of the three followers of He Who Must Not Be Named only one was convicted.

This following the acquittal of Lucius Malfoy, head of Malfoy Industries.

The public was shocked and angered by the acquittal of yet another

corporate head, Lilith Bolton. She stood accused of several counts murder,

and conspiracy. However, none of the charges stuck, when reading the prior

spells cast none had been of murderous intent. The entire Wizengamot were

scandalized at the lascivious nature of the spells. It was no true surprise, as we all know  
that sex magic goes hand in hand with the dark arts. With no incriminating spells

cast and no eye witnesses the charges were dropped. Ms. Bolton stayed for

the trail of Madame Lestrange, who's trial left the public with a sense of

justice. The beyond brutal torture of Alice and Frank Longbottom

had irrefutable evidence, eye witnesses, and a confession from Lestrange herself.  
The trial ended quickly and Bellatrix Lestrange is now in a snug little cell in Azkaban.

The public can now sleep safer with one less crazed lunatic prowling the streets.

:::::::

There were several more articles that expressed the public's outrage at the results of the Malfoy and Bolton trials, none of which were kind, there were also plenty that sang praises at Bellatrix's incarceration. Hermione now understood the sudden attitude change in regards to her and Tonks, her last name was clearly not a pureblood one and Tonks was the child of Andromeda and a muggleborn, not to mention the two seemed to be close in the past. She glanced at the clock, it was only half passed ten, not too late. She picked up the newspaper clippings and placed them back in the chest. She pulled out the leather journal when there was a knock at her door, she shrunk the chest and placed it back under the pillow. "I'll be right there, just a second." she answered hurriedly. She tossed the journal in the stack of books that had already accumulated in the corner of her room and unlocked the door. Tonks took in the sight of an out of breath Hermione and glanced at the bed, the top covers had been disturbed but it didn't seem the the younger woman had been under them. The pink haired Auror grinned. "I wasn't interrupting anything...important..was I?" The bookworm's brow furrowed, but looking at the older woman the meaning of her statement became clear. She blushed heavily at the implication and stammered in response. "N-no, I was just, doing some reading." Tonks' grin just widened. "That must have been quite an interesting read to have to lock the door and look so out of breath." Hermione's face was increasing in redness and Tonks decided to spare the girl from further teasing. "No worries Hermione, you're secret's safe with me. I just came by to thank you for covering for us, I'm not normally so easy to rile up." The lecherous grin had been replaced by a bashful frown as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Don't worry about it Tonks, what are friends for?"

* * *

The large room was filled with screams, most of the occupants looked bored, save for Bellatrix as she smiled widely at the man screaming. Over the years Rod had become more cruel and twisted than most people would have imagined. While most couples in arranged marriage learned to get a long, if not love each other, they did the opposite. She despised him, and he her. The screaming stopped and was replaced by a voice. "I trusted you with this assignment. It was simple and straightforward, and yet somehow you still managed to fuck it up." The Dark Lord stood, his decent from the makeshift throne was slow, eventually he made it over to the man and kicked him, effectively rolling him onto his back. "I do not tolerate failure Rodolphus. I am sure Lucius could have had better results than you. Now give me one reason why I shouldn't end your life right here and make Bellatrix a widow." Bellatrix smirked at the dig and glanced at her brother-in-law, who sneered at her when he realized she was looking at him. Others in the inner circle openly chuckled, and most leaned forward to get a better look at what may happen. They were the very definition of sharks, and they were excited at the frenzy that could possibly begin. "My Lord, please, I did not come empty handed. And I am a much better duelist than half the people in this room. Lucius included." The rest of the inner circle hissed at the slight.

Voldemort glanced to the caged man in the corner of the room, he was beaten and bloody, but still very much alive. "Ah, yes, Percy Weasly. Junior Assistant to The Minister of Magic. Tell me Rodolphus, are you aware of Percy's current familial situation?" Rodolphus looked confused and attempted to sit up, The Dark Lord's foot on his chest kept him from doing so. "My Lord?" "No, I suppose you aren't, allow me to fill you in. In light of his recent promotion he has been essentially disowned. Don't look so surprised, they are still purebloods and children have been disowned for less." Voldemort mulled over what to do with Rodolphus, he utterly failed his task of finding an informant within The Ministry. Lucius and Lilith had a lot of clout in The Ministry but their leanings were well known and making moves was difficult without knowing what Dumbledore and his merry band of men were up to. No doubt Percy's disappearance during Ministry hours would have garnered attention. He sighed and decided to spare him, Rodolphus had his uses and he was sure that Bellatrix would be upset that she hadn't been able to kill him. "Return Mr. Weasly to his workplace, before too many questions are raised because of his absence. Be sure to wipe his memory before you let him go, and make no mistake if you fail me again I will leave you to the attentions of your wife, and others if she feels kind enough to share." Bellatrix cackled at the threat, knowing that her husband had further damned himself by attempting to throw the others under the bus. She usually didn't play well with others, with a few exceptions, but when it came to Rod she would be more than happy to extend his misery. Voldemort's eyes scanned the room, "If that is all we can adjourn this meeting." Movement from the corner of his eye drew is attention to Lilith who was now standing. "My Lord, I have news that I believe would interest you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**A/N:** Here's the Sunday update, I've been able to write pretty steadily so I think I'll stick to the weekend updates. I hope you guys like it. Read review and enjoy!

* * *

Voldemort was once again seated on his makeshift throne, Lilith was bowing before him, her sapphire hair spilling over her shoulders in thick waves. "Rise and tell me what you wish to share." Lilith stood, and spoke, "I was called into the office yesterday, and was greeted by Potter's mudblood and...Auror Tonks." The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed, and silently performed _l__egilimens, _Lilith's walls were down, as she had been expecting the intrusion. She cringed as she felt him search for the memory in question. Once he watched it to completion she had expected him to retreat. She was wrong, she grit her teeth as she felt him force himself deeper into her mind, he was not gentle. She fought against the urges to throw up random memories because that would just get her into trouble. She felt him slow and eventually stop at one memory.

:::::

_It was storming, but she paid the rain, thunder, or lightning any mind. She watched as the last light went out inside the cottage she was looking at. She waited several minutes before making her move. The wards were strong but she easily cut through them without alerting the occupants inside. She walked up to the door and unlocked it just as easily. Gray eyes scanned the lower floor for any signs of life, finding none she made her way up the stairs. As she walked down the hall she paused at the door to the left, she placed her forehead against the wood and focused on the deep breathing she could hear from beyond the door. It took more willpower than she expected to take a step back. Turning she looked at the door across the hall, she took a deep breath to quell the nervousness that fluttered around in her stomach and opened the door. The nursery was nice, she bet it looked better when the sun was shining. She walked over to the crib and looked at the child that lay in it. The infant looked so much like her mother that Lilith felt a muted ache in her chest. The child wriggled around a bit before opening her eyes. Gray met gray and the ache in her chest increased. Lilith reached into her robes and brandished a dagger. She hissed as the blade sliced open her finger, she waited for the blood to surface before drawing runes on the baby's face, hands, and feet. The runes glowed a bright purple before sinking into the child's skin. She moved to pull her hand away but a smaller hand reached out and grasped her finger the child gurgling happily. She just barely registered a sound coming from the door. She had successfully escaped and was now back outside, standing inches from the wards, she watched as Andromeda came to the window looking for any sign of an intruder; she would find none, save for a puddle by her daughter's crib. Lilith knew she could never come back to the cottage. She modified the wards and left, they were safe, and that's how it would remain._

:::::

Lilith's nose was bleeding by the time the memory had played out, but that was the least of her worries. She hadn't told anyone, not even Bellatrix or Narcissa, what had happened that night. It was no secret that she had been behind Ted Tonks' kidnapping, torture, and eventual murder; this however was something else entirely. The Dark Lord surprised her by laughing. "So, Auror Tonks is really Auror Bolton." Gasps resounded in the room, everyone was on the edge of their seat waiting to see what their Lord would do next. "This is exactly what we needed. Knowledge of her true parentage will have them questioning every move they've ever made in The Ministry." He paused for a moment, trying to decide on the best plan of action to expose the young Auror. He smiled slowly, "Bellatrix, you and Lilith will be paying a visit to... an old friend tonight. I'm sure you recall Florence Herdon, she's retired but still has plenty of credibility. Have a chat with her, and make sure you let this little bit of information slip." "Of course My Lord." the women chorused. "Lilith, you may be one of my best Death Eaters, but if you keep another secret from me, Bella will have to find a new playmate." Lilith hastily bowed, "You are too kind My Lord." "Am I?" he questioned as he twirled his wand around his fingers, "Yes, I suppose I am. Crucio!"

* * *

The library in Malfoy Manor was full of tension. No one had spoken since they entered. Bellatrix was leaning against a bookshelf, Narcissa was on the loveseat glaring at the fireplace, Lucius was seated next to his wife looking disappointed, and Lilith was sitting in an arm chair that was turned to face the others. Seconds ticked by on the grandfather clock, the tension intensifying with every stroke. "Enough, out with it already." Lilith spat. Bellatrix glared at her, but her sister spoke first, "I honestly don't even know where to begin. The fact that you have a child you neglected to mention, that she's my niece, or that you were idiotic enough to try to keep it from The Dark Lord. What were you thinking? He could have killed you!" Lilith opened her mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by Bellatrix, "No, you have had plenty of chances to speak. We are your family. Maybe now in blood as well but we have been family for longer than that. Cissa is right, The Dark Lord could have wanted you dead after finding out, and he could have ordered me to do it!" Lilith flinched at the anger in the sable haired woman's voice, looking at her she noticed that Bellatrix's hands were shaking and her breaths were becoming quick and shallow, her eyes glazing over with dark memories. She wanted to say something, but one more person needed to speak, she looked to Lucius who looked the most composed. He sighed heavily, "I won't act as if I'm surprised that it happened, you were head over heels for her. Maybe you still are, even now. I wish you would have come to me...to any of us. Bella's right, we've been family since we were in school. I can only speak for myself, but what hurt's the most is that you chose to keep this a secret. Even from us." Lilith sighed and stood, and slowly made her way over to Bellatrix, realizing her intent Bellatrix lashed out landing several heavy punches ans scratches before Lilith's arms wrapped around her. "You need to calm down. You'll pass out soon if you don't get a hold on your breathing." Lucius and Narcissa stood and the three of them surrounded Bellatrix, slowly breathing together. Bella's breaths began to match theirs and the whispers in her mind quieted. The grandfather clock chimed. It was time.

* * *

Florence Herdon was enjoying a pleasant cup of tea when she heard a scratching sound at her back door, grabbing her wand she cracked open the door. She was shocked not to see anything, but a short whine directed her attention downwards. Soulful blue eyes stared up at her. The woman was shocked, and lowered her wand. "Why hello there, aren't you a pretty thing." She opened up her door further, and that was her mistake. The canine barked, and the door was forced open. Two hooded figures stood before her, the dog between them growling deeply. Florence nearly passed out when she saw the silver shine of Death Eater masks. "W-what do you want?" The hooded figure on the right took a quick step forward and kicked her in the stomach. Not expecting the move she doubled over in pain and dropped her wand. It rolled along the floor and was picked up by the gray furred companion. "We'll be the ones asking the questions. Don't speak unless spoken to. You speak out of turn and you'll regret it." She wasn't sure which one spoke, she watched as the one on the left summoned a chair. "Sit." She hesitated, but sat down, she wasn't surprised when she was hit with a body bind. She was surprised when the Death Eater on the left pulled out some strange contraption. "What is that?" She asked before she could stop herself. Both figures chuckled. "You owe me 10 galleons. She asked about it." "Oh whatever, that's because I haven't taken out my toy." Her heart was racing as she listened to them, but she mentally breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn't caught her slip. "Don't think we didn't notice you broke the rules. Faye...break." The large canine bit down on the wand held in its maw, the wood shattering. Florence felt as if she'd been kicked in the chest as her connection with her wand was severed. "Oh and to answer your question what I'm holding is a muggle creation, they're called pliers. We've got a whole bag of tricks and a few questions. If you cooperate we could be inclined to lessen your suffering. But don't forget to follow the rule." "Or don't, either way we get to have fun." The other figure spoke as they shrugged. And pulled out another foreign looking gadget. Florence prayed to every deity she knew for someone to come save her, but her prayers went unanswered. Her screams and cries filled the home through the night, and into the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hey there everyone, thanks to all the new follows, I'm glad you guys are taking an interest in this story. The OOC-ness gets really apparent from this point on. Hopefully you like it. Anyway, I've kept you all waiting long enough. Read, review, and enjoy.

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Tonks had been getting strange looks and glares all day, some people were even cowering as she walked by. She didn't know what was making them act so strangely, until she made it to the Auror's office. The strangest thing was how her colleagues acted. People that she was usually friendly with were acting like they were busy and avoiding her eyes. And Aurors that had been cold to her before we now giving her nods, a few of them even smiled at her. She was sitting at her desk filling in some details of one of her recent assignments when she was called into her superior's office. He glared at her, but she was used to it, the man glared at everyone. "Now listen here, I don't care who's side you're on, however the politics of this office was pretty even before now. In light of recent events, the balance has been tilted. Keep your opinions to yourself and do your job, and I will turn an eye to anything that happens on your off time." Tonks stared at him blankly for several moments. "What? What happened?" Her superior looked at her in shock. "You mean..you don't know?" He reached into his briefcase and pulled out that morning's addition of The Prophet. She was on the front page, along with her mother, and Lilith Bolton. Her heart skipped several beats as she read the headline.

:::::

**The Bolton's Bastard**

Florence Herdon

It has been a long time since I have published anything, but this story was worth

coming out of retirement for. Yes, you read correctly, I received word from very credible

and anonymous sources that Auror Nymphadora Tonks, one of The Ministry of Magic's top

Aurors, is actually Nymphadora Bolton. If that weren't enough to shock you dear readers,

her birth mother is none other than Andromeda Tonks nee Black. Both the Blacks

and the Bolton's have had a long and twisted history with dark magic,  
so it is not surprising to see that the offspring of such a union, the circumstances

of such a union are interwoven with dark magic itself, excels in such a violent and brutal

profession. There have also been several eye witnesses, that saw Auror Bolton

at Hammerstone Enterprises headquarters just a few days prior to the release of

today's addition. It was confirmed by sources within Hammerstone that the Auror

had gone to speak to the chairman herself. What was discussed can only be speculated on,

but seeing as there is no heir to the corporation, one has to wonder if Auror Bolton

was discussing becoming legitimized. Whatever was dicussed the one question hasn't

left my head: How are we, the public, expected to feel safe with such a dark

presence with so much power lurking within The Ministry?

:::::

Tonks found herself in her mother's living room, she didn't recall flooing, but there she stood all the same. Bustling in the kitchen drew her attention, she walked silently and stood in the doorway watching as her mother and Hermione washed dishes by hand. "Is it true." She didn't recognize her own voice but she didn't really care. She watched as her mother's back went rigid, and turn to face her. "Dora, I-" "No," She spoke sternly, she could feel her hair changing color. "Tell me. Is. It. True." Hermione looked alarmed at the tension and tried to edge out of the kitchen. Tonks fixed a glare on her and the youngest woman stopped. Andromeda sighed. "I didn't want you to find out this way. I'm not sure I wanted you to find out at all." Tonks felt her knees weaken for a moment. "But...but dad.." "Your father was many things, but her was not your father." her mother replied softly. "So what, you just spread your legs for the first charming Death Eater that made a pass at you?!" She spat in response. She could feel the anger swirling in her irises. "Tonks!" Hermione's voice cut in, sounding equal parts shocked and offended. "No! It's not Tonks anymore is it? It never was! It's Bolton." she was shaking now, clenching and unclenching her hands. "How'd she do it Mum, she wine and dine you? Make promises to you, promises to take you away from your shame, your poverty, to restore honor to the House of Black?! Well? Don't keep us in suspense." Andromeda was silently staring at the table while she was bombarded her daughter's anger, she had kept so many secrets. It was time for the truth. "No, it didn't happen like that. The war...some people were forced to become monsters, others just released the monster that was hiding just beneath the surface. Lil-your mother, she released hers..but she gave me you." Tonks stopped breathing when she caught on to what her mother was implying. It happened all the time in war, it was no surprise it happened in the last one. She wanted to apologize, to walk over and comfort her mother, but she couldn't. Not yet, she was still too angry. She turned around and headed to the floo.

* * *

Tonks was mildly surprised that no one attempted to stop her and more surprised to see Lilith sitting on her desk when she burst through the doors. She growled and strode up to the older woman, pressing her wand to the gray eyed witch's throat. "I see you've got my anger and lack of self-control. It's not on of my best qualities, but you'll learn how to keep a leash on it." Tonks pushed the wand harder, "Don't play games with me. You know why I'm here. Now say it." Gray eyes found her's and stared blankly. "It seems you've inherited quite a few of my traits. Alright, I'll say it. During the first war your mother and I fought on opposing sides. One night I found her alone, which was stupid of her, I revealed myself and we dueled ;admittedly it was halfhearted on both sides. I won. She was standing there, waiting for me to make my next move, so I did. She probably worded it to make you come to a conclusion which would lead you here. She's quite the Slytherin, fortunately, so am I. And I still know her better than anyone else. I didn't rape her, was it rough? Of course, we were both angry, and it was a dark time. She knew what was happening, when to witches conceive it's no accident. We both wanted it..wanted you." Tonks took a step back, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. It was all too much. "You need to calm down. You'll pass out soon if you don't get a hold on your breathing." A voice murmured as she was surrounded by warmth. She sank to her knees, grasped onto the warmth, and cried.

* * *

Grimmauld Place was currently hosting an emergency Order meeting. Almost all members were in attendance, with the exception of the Tonks' who were the very reason for the meeting. "What are we going to do? They know too much!" Arthur Weasly hissed. "Why do we need to do anything? They were Order members before the article and they are still members now." Minerva questioned. "What do you mean why? Have you gone mad? Did you forget that her other mother is on of His most loyal followers?" Elphias Doge chimed in. "Her parentage hasn't been verified. Are we going to toss them out on potentially baseless accusations?" Snape drawled. "Of course you're sticking up for them Snivellus, you're all on the same bloody team! Who even let you in here?" Lupin growled. Snape raised an eyebrow but said nothing in response. "You may not like it Remus, but he's right. Until a blood test, or an acknowledgment from Bolton, it's all just hearsay. We should distance them from the inner workings for now until the claims are either confirmed or denied. Bringing them back in or taking them out it'll be easier." Kingsley stated. The others murmered their agreement. Minerva sighed and looked at Severus who's expression was as unreadable as always, she was surprised he had stuck up for the women, but then again, Slytherins always looked out for their own.

* * *

Hermione had been torn between which of the Tonks women to agree with, both had their reasons and neither one was totally in the right. Tonks had left, so she spent the entire evening comforting Andromeda. She didn't know if or when Tonks would return to the cottage, she hoped that the young woman hadn't gone off and done something reckless. She sighed as she watched her friend's mother silently retreat to her bedroom. She turned out the lights on the first floor and headed to her room, she closed the bedroom door and laid on the bed. She tried to go to sleep but wasn't able to actually fall asleep, she felt too tired to read the journal so she reached under her pillow and grasped the chest. After enlarging it she reached in and pulled out the velvet box that housed the ring she had seen before. It stood out against the black velvet, what she assumed were diamonds and sapphires sparkled beautifully, and the platinum band shone like no ring she had seen before. She didn't fight the compulsion to slip it on, nor did she notice that she didn't use her wand to shrink the chest. Hermione managed to slip the chest back under her pillow before finally drifting off.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sorry that this one is a bit late, I was away from my computer since Saturday. Anyway, here's the second update. Follow, read, review, and enjoy.

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Bellatrix withheld a sigh and looked around the room, the true inner circle had been summoned to the study in The Dark Lord's wing of The Manor, but before the meeting could begin they needed everyone present. Severus was late, but that was to be expected, having a spy in Hogwarts meant that contact and meetings would be difficult. She understood that, but still wanted to hex the potions master for making her wait so long she had become bored. She glanced over to the other side of the room, her sister was quietly chatting with Lilith and their Lord was standing by the fireplace. When their eyes met she bowed her head slightly and he nodded in acknowledgment. She slowly approached the two women taking a seat next to Lilith. The blue haired woman gave her a sidelong glace before looking back to her baby sister. She subtly elbowed the woman next to her, who did nothing more than glance in her direction again. The sharp sting on an elbow in her own rib cage made her flinch, before she returned the favor with force. Narcissa watched as the two then went into an all out shoving match, she rolled her eyes at the older women and glanced to The Dark Lord who was watching the small bout. He turned to her and they shared a look. Bellatrix was slowly returning to the brilliant and mostly sane witch she had been at the beginning of the first war. The fact that Lilith was encouraging the juvenile acts was to be expected, they had been thick as thieves since they had been able to walk. The match was broken up by the entrance of Severus who did nothing but raise an eyebrow at the two women wrestling on the couch. "My apologies, My Lord, even if the school is on it's last few days of holiday it is still difficult to leave the grounds." Voldemort waved his hand, "Apologies are unnecessary Severus, we all know your task." The Dark Lord looked around the room, his eyes scanning the faces of his most trusted: Lucius, Narcissa, Antonin, Severus, Lilith, and Bellatrix. "We are expecting one more guest before we begin this meeting." Snapping his fingers, the double doors to the study opened, the Death Eaters gasped at the man who walked in. The Dark Lord dropped his glamour as the doors shut. Gone was the reptilian looking man, and in his place stood the true form of Tom Riddle. "Now, let us begin."

Elijah Bolton entered the room, his gray eyes scanning the room and landing on his elder sister who stood openly gaping at his presence. It had been 34 years since they last saw each other. They had both changed. He glanced to The Dark Lord, who nodded, before striding across the room and embracing his still shocked sibling. "We have much to catch up on." he whispered before parting from her, walking a few more paces to bow before his Master. "You may rise Elijah." The younger Bolton did as he was bade and sat on the arm of the couch closest to Lilith. "I know you all mus be curious as to why you are gathered here, allow me to relieve you of your speculations. The Order is undecided as to what to do with their, shall we say, newly outed comrades. The balance in The Ministry is at a tipping point. It is time to push the odds further into our favor. Elijah, Lucius, the files I asked for." Both men stood and approached Voldemort with thick files, The Dark Lord wandlessly duplicated them and gestured toward the rest of his followers. "These are Muggle and Ministry files on one Ms. Hermione Granger. She is a powerful witch, and it is well known that she is the "secret" behind Potter's success. And according to some recent reconnaissance, thank you Antonin, we now know she is currently residing with the Tonks'." As they scanned the documents, Narcissa spoke up. "My Lord she is most certainly impressive and powerful, but what are we expected to do? She has...unfortunate parentage." Lucius nodded and picked up where his wife left off. "While no one in this room actually cares about blood status," he paused, glancing at Voldemort before continuing, "It is the rallying cry here in England." Voldemort sighed, "I've rarely been more painfully aware of that, than right now. The eight of us are simple, we only care for power, but the rest of them...what do they want?" While the rest of the room engaged in ideas of how to solve the Granger issue, Lilith was more concerned with Bellatrix. The woman hadn't even actually read the dossier, instead she was staring at a recent photograph of the girl. The intensity of her best friend's stare worried her. _'Looks like there's more than one Granger issue.'_

* * *

The meeting was adjourned and everyone had new assignments, the goal was simple, further isolate the three witches from The Order. Bigotry was one of the "Light's" strong suits. Although, to be honest the Dark wasn't far behind. If they were successful, The Order would lose three very strong allies. Bellatrix watched as Lilith and Elijah chatted in the gardens from a window in the study. The others had been dismissed, but she chose to stay. "Something on your mind Bella?" The Dark Lord queried as he stood by her side and joined her in watching the two. "Elijah..you brought him in to anchor her to this side, didn't you?" "Yes, while you, your sister, and Lucius have become her family, she has another on the other side as well. These next few months will strain her loyalties." "Some family, Andromeda breaks her heart and then doesn't even reach out when she gave birth to her child." Bellatrix hissed in response. "Which is why you are her rock. And she's yours. You two have never failed to protect each other. If this doesn't work, you will have to be there for her." Voldemort said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "What else troubles you?" Bellatrix glanced at Her Lord's once again reptilian features before speaking, "Do you think it's truly possible? Up until now it has all been childish theories. I'm not the same person I was back then...I-I unraveled. I was weak." "No Bella, you are not weak. You are my second, I would never place someone weak in such a trusted position. I know you have yet to return to your true self, it will take time. And when this stage of our plans comes to fruition, we won't have to worry. Because I do believe it is possible, but more importantly, I believe in Severus, Lilith, and your combined abilities. I am not a foolish man. I am pushing you all well passed what you think are your limits, but trust me when I say, there are no limits." with those parting words, The Dark Lord left the study, and Bellatrix turned to continue watching the Boltons. _'I have faith in you My Lord. We will not let you down.'_

* * *

Hermione slowly walked down the path to Hogsmeade, she had come to Hogwarts with Andromeda, who was once again needed by McGonagall. She wasn't allowed to attend the meeting and roaming the empty halls didn't sound all that appealing seeing as it was her last day on holiday. So she decided to head to Madam Puddifoot's, late last night she had returned the chest to it's original hiding place, with the exception of two items, and placed all the appropriate wards on it. At first she take off the ring while in Andromeda's presence but the witch acted strangely when she had it in her pocket, It was as if she could sense it, she quickly learned to keep it stashed in her room. Hermione had yet to find a time or place to read it, hence her trip to the shop, it was private enough for her to finally delve into the journal's pages. She entered the overly pink and lovey shop and grimaced. Walking up to the counter she ordered a tea and sat down in a snug little corner. She opened the journal up to the first page when she sensed a presence, expecting it to the be the barista she glanced over the top of the journal and nearly swallowed her own tongue at the sight of Lilith Bolton standing before her. Looking somewhat intrigued. "So the rumors are true, you are most often seen with your nose in a book." Hermione contemplated making a move for her wand but her thought process was disrupted by the older woman. "Ah, ah, ahh...now Miss Granger do you really want to cause a scene?" Lilith made a subtle gesture with her hand and Hermione was drawn to Lilith's hand and quickly realized that she had been outdrawn. "Would you be so kind as to escort me to my next appointment?" The sentence was formed as a question, but it was clear in those gray eyes that the young Gryffindor had no choice. As she reluctantly stood shrinking the journal and slipping it into her pocket, Lilith grinned, looking all too much like Tonks as her sharp canines glinted in the light. The corporate head offered her arm and Hermione took it, together they left the shop, and in Hermione's case unaware of the whispers from the other patrons.

They walked for a few minutes before stopping at an abandoned shop, she was led to the side of the building. She was about to speak when Lilith reached out and tapped on the wall. One of the panels moved to reveal narrowed dark brown eyes. Lilith merely raised an eyebrow. The panel slammed shut and a door opened. Lilith gestured inside with her head, they stepped through the entry way, guarded by a man who must have had giant in his blood. Wisps of smoke from incense hung low in the air, Hermione's eyes too in the place, it was lavish, chairs and tables had been replaced with large pillows and low tables, large drapes separated the rooms. Giggles from attractively dressed women catering to expensively dressed wizards and witches lounging around and smoking and drinking. The building reminded her of a Persian brothel that she'd read about on a few occasions. She was led to a room towards the back, Lilith pulled the drape back and Hermione slipped in, the older woman following close behind.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**A/N:** Left you guys with kind of a cliffhanger last weekend, hope this update was worth the wait. Thanks so much for all the new follows and faves, I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. Read, review, and enjoy!

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"Are we expecting someone else?" Hermione's voice broke through the silence. Lilith, who had been casually lounging on an extremely comfortable pillow, was slow to respond. "What brought you to that conclusion?" "Aside from the fact that we've been sitting here doing nothing but listening to music, there are three cups at this table." Hermione stated dryly. Lilith chuckled, "How astute of you. Yes, we are waiting for someone, she likes to make an entrance so let's give her a few more minutes to see if she decided to show up." Another minute passed before the drape was flung open in a dramatic fashion, Hermione missed the roll of Lilith's eyes, as she stared at the awaited third member of their meeting. _'Oh. Shit!'_ Bellatrix Lestrange stood smirking at her, "Sorry I'm late, I had a prior engagement." The eldest Black didn't look nearly as crazed as she had in her Azkaban mugshot. _'Looks like she fixed her teeth.'_ It took the motion of the woman sitting next to her comrade for her to realize that she had not only been staring, but that she was in a secret building with two of the most vicious Death Eaters without any backup. "She looks cute when she's frightened." Bellatrix stated, just barely holding back a cackle. "Yes, it seems like the gravity of her situation has finally hit her. Not to worry Miss Granger, we only came to talk." Lilith made no attempts to hide her amusement. "Forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical about that. You two have a reputation, and niceties aren't a well known part of it." Hermione drawled. Bellatrix couldn't hold back her cackle this time. "Cheeky little thing, isn't she? Sounds like that Gryffindor "bravery"." Hermione frowned at the dig. "If all you invited me here for was to mock me, I really have better uses of my time." She looked directly into Bellatrix's eyes, ignoring the jolt she felt in her chest. The dark witch did nothing but raise an eyebrow in return. "I suppose you're right. We invited you here because we're curious." Lilith's voice chimed in, breaking the staring match between the curly haired witches. "Curious? About what?" Hermione asked, openly confused. "About you," Lilith paused to take a sip from her cup before continuing, "You see, we want to know why it is you're on...the other side of the fence." "You can't seriously be asking me that." The youngest witch replied her brow furrowing.

"Oh but we are," Lilith was poised to say more, before Bellatrix cut in, "They probably hate you, you know. Resent you at the very least." Lilith nodded, "Potter too. I wouldn't be surprised. Pureblood pride is something that is bred into us. Even if they choose to fight against us, that's what they are. Your parentage is no secret, Muggle Dentists, yes?" Hermione's heart stopped at the mention of her parents. "By Muggle standards they do quite well, and with the rate of exchange you are able to benefit from their profession. How do you think the Weasly's feel? To be forced to live in such a hovel, and sire only one exceptional child. Then meet the brightest witch to grace the halls of Hogwarts since Narcissa graduated, only for her to be a muggleborn and wealthier than they are. Not to mention Potter is a half-blood and richer than they could ever realistically achieve." Bellatrix added, "We've read up on you, the plight of muggleborns isn't your only concern, creature equality, freedom of house elves especially. Social Justice is your niche. But is it really theirs? Can you name another muggleborn on your side?" Hermione sat forward and looked Lilith directly in the eyes, and spat "Yes, Ted Tonks." Hermione fought with herself not to recoil as she saw something dark spark in the now steely gray eyes. "He's dead now so he won't be of much help, but please continue. No? Is that all? One would think people so concerned with muggleborns would have more of the oppressed group with them. How about Muggles? No, not a single one of them either? Strange, you'd think that since Muggles can have magical children such as your parents they would be considered a valuable allies. If not allies, are they allowed sanctuary? When this war starts are they allowed to seek out your comrades, are they being offered Order protection? You've seen how well they protect their own, I'm sure Potter has told you all about it." Lilith sneered at Hermione, who had a shocked look on her face. Bellatrix could feel that the blue haired woman was going to start losing control of her magic soon, she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and both women stood, "We've given you a lot to think about. Feel free to contact us when you get curious." With that Bellatrix exited in the same dramatic way she had entered, Lilith was silent as the dark witch left, but turned to face the young bookworm her eyes still cold, "Oh, and one more thing..."

* * *

Hermione had been unusually quiet when they returned to the cottage, the young woman seemed troubled by something but hadn't opened up about the subject that was troubling her. Andromeda was used to such behaviors, having dealt with them for most of her life, she just hoped that the young Gryffindor would open up to her before she left for Hogwarts in the morning. At dinner, Hermione was pushing around the food on her plate and seemed to be on the verge of asking something, Andromeda pretended not to notice, content with eating her own food. "How did Ted die?" Andromeda nearly choked on her food. She quickly took a swig from her cup and swallowed. "I'm sorry, what?" Hermione looked guilty, "I know this isn't the type of conversation to be having at dinner, or at all really...its just..I need to know." Andromeda sighed, she rarely thought of her deceased husband but she would dredge up old memories if it would help the distressed witch in front of her. "He went missing on a patrol, the current headquarters of The Order had just been attacked, so everyone was on high alert. He was with an Auror..Savage, I think. They were ambushed, Savage was hurt and Ted was gone. His body wasn't found until after the Death Eater trials. He suffered a lot, more than for just gathering information, they wanted him to wish for death. I don't think they intended to kill him, he just gave up." Hermione's gaze was fixed on her plate, she chewed on her bottom lip as the silence grew heavier. "Do you...do you think Lilith did it?" Hazel eyes looked up to see Andromeda rubbing her left ring finger, a far away look in her eye. "The answer seems rather obvious when you ask it out loud." was all the older witch said before standing and leaving the room. Hermione sat in the kitchen a while longer, the indigo haired witch's parting words still haunting her. Adding to that, what she had just learned, she shuddered. From what she had seen that afternoon, and now heard just now, she knew Andromeda was right. Lilith had only unleashed the monster, not become one. _'But she isn't the only one.'_ She thought to herself as her mind drifted to burning charcoal eyes. Shaking her head she left the kitchen, she still had a bit of packing left to do before the morning came. She had learned from Harry and Ron that the train waits for no one.

* * *

Tonks tried not to look as bored as she felt, she had been tasked with following up on leads from a recent multiple missing persons case. She looked to her current partner, Estelle Mangus. They were about the same age, but that's were the similarities ended. Estelle was a stone cold bitch and was proud of it, not to mention the fact that she was happily seated in the Death Eater's camp. She had to wonder what her superior was thinking when he made this match. The eye witness had been talking in circles for several minutes, and something about him set her on edge. She shifted on her feet, hoping it looked as if her legs were getting tired, and analyzed their surroundings. She didn't think anything of it at first, the area being so well hidden, thinking perhaps he was just scared that the abductors would find him but now she wasn't so sure. Scanning the rooftops she saw something, it was slight and she could just barley make out the difference but she saw faint indentations in the snow. _'A dissillusionment charm coupled with a feather-light charm. These guys mean business.'_ Tonks quickly interrupted the man's senseless rant "While this was all very helpful, I just have one small question," With speed, grace, and precision she could only achieve on the battlefield she turned to face the disillusioned figure, her wand drawn and cast a powerful stunner. The figure fell to the ground with a thud. She looked to her partner, who was casting a body bind on their "eye witness". "Well, that went pretty smoothly." Tonks stated with a grin. Several more thuds reached their ears and Estelle sighed, "You just had to say something." Tonks just shrugged unapologetically,and turned to face their newly revealed opponents, her hair turning bright yellow with excitement. There were eight of them in total. "You guys should have brought more friends, maybe that would have evened the odds a bit more." the bright haired Auror taunted before engaging the two closest enemies to her left.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**A/N:** Here's Sunday's update guys. I've gotta say I'm pretty bummed out by the lack of reviews. I'm not one of those authors who will hold the next update hostage, but I would like to know what you all are thinking. Tell me who your favorite character is, offer some constructive criticism, how much you liked or disliked a character's actions. Something. I'd just like to know what my readers are thinking, but you guys aren't offering much. Okay, mini-rant over. Read, follow, fav, review (please), and enjoy.

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Hermione's return to Hogwarts went less than seamlessly. She had exchanged strained farewells with the middle Black sister, but she was certain that after a couple of weeks she would be able to exchange letters with her normally. Ron seemed to be miffed at her and had glared at her the entire ride to the castle. Harry had been evasive and distant, the only person that still seemed to be on speaking terms with her was Ginny. The two chatted about their winter breaks ignoring the looks Ron was giving both of them. On their way into the Great Hall, they ran into Draco and his cronies. "Potter, Weasels." the blonde boy sneered. His blue eyes darted to Hermione, but he said nothing and shoved Ron out of the way. The redheaded boy growled, and whirled around to face the bookworm, "What was that about? We get hassled and he doesn't so much as sneer in your direction. What's going on?" Hermione rolled her eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about Ronald, but I would appreciate it if you got out of my face and stopped asking absurd questions. If I had to guess, I'd say he's waiting until later to harass me." With that she shoved passed Ron, and shot Harry a look before heading inside to sit at the table, the bespectacled boy looked to his shoes as she passed. The welcome back speech was brief, but the Headmaster alluded to the war that seemed to be getting closer each day. Ron and Harry seemed content to ignore Hermione, who was hurt as well as angry at their avoidance. She felt eyes on her and looked around, she was surprised to see Draco blankly staring at her. His eyes shifted to the teachers' table before returning to his food. She turned to get a better view of the table and was met with three different sets of eyes. Both McGonagall and Dumbledore's eyes looked concerned, while she was unable to read the dark eyes of the potions master. Hermione decided she wasn't all that hungry anymore and stood. Without a word to Harry or Ron, she left the Great Hall and headed for Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Narcissa folded up the letter she received from her son and stood, she would need to speak to The Dark Lord. She grimaced as she thought about heading down to the dungeons, things had become a bit too medieval for her tastes. As she broke through the last ward on the heavy metal door, the screams from the other side rang out. She tried not to gag as the smell of mold, blood, and death flooded her nostrils. She reached the bottom of the stairs and saw her Lord standing in the far corner of the room. He wasn't alone however, Bellatrix, Lilith, and Lucius were also present, although preoccupied. The three were standing around a man strapped to a table, he was bleeding heavily and screaming in pain. Narcissa approached the reptilian looking man and halted a few feet from him, bowing deeply. "You may approach, but please wait until they have finished, I do not want to miss anything while trying to speak over his pain." The Lady of The Manor nodded and watched. Lilith was holding a clipboard and scribbling furiously, Bellatrix was off to the side pouring something into a vial, and Lucius was moving around the man taking pictures. Bellatrix strode over and emptied its contents into the already screaming man's mouth. He started to scream louder and began thrashing wildly, as blood began pouring out of newly made wounds. Then it was completely silent, and the man was gone. "Well, that's four out of four subjects. Ingestion clearly isn't going to work." Lilith mumbled while still scribbling. "Where do you think he went?" Lucius asked as he used a _scourgify_ to clean the table. "It's hard to say, without the spell to give an exact time and place we'll either wake up with a memory of his body being found or someone will find him eventually." Bellatrix responded with a shrug. Voldemort stepped forward, "You may return to your..studies soon, Narcissa has news."

The walk to The Dark Lord's throne room was brief, after paying their respects to their Lord they all sat down. Voldemort called for the rest of his inner circle, who all quickly arrived, bowed and took their seats. "Now Narcissa, I believe you had something to share." The youngest of them nodded and stood, "Yes My Lord, Draco sent me a letter after dinner. Potter and the Weasly boy are acting being distant towards Miss Granger. If I were to guess, I would think that they were pulled aside by some of The Order members and warned of her potential corruption since staying with Andr-since staying with the Tonks'." Voldemort nodded and glanced at Bellatrix and Lilith, "And what were your findings from the other day?" Both women stood and walked to the base of Voldemort's makeshift throne, both bowing before beginning. "Everything went according to plan My Lord, as expected I did most of the talking, however, Miss Granger wasn't able to keep her eyes off Bellatrix for long." Lilith spoke. The Dark Lord seemed surprised. "And how do you feel about this development?" "I'm relieved to not have to woo three women." Lilith quipped, The Dark Lord and most of the inner circle laughed, the only one who wasn't amused was Rodolphus. "As if you could." he interjected sourly. "Just because you have difficulties pleasing even one woman doesn't mean we all suffer from your lack of ability Rod." Lucius retorted. "Yeah, I'm sure if you needed some pointers, your wife would be happy to help." Antonin added. "To be honest I'm not even sure why we call him Rod, that's being _very_ generous." Bellatrix drawled with a malicious look to her husband. The inner circle howled, usually, Voldemort would have been inclined to reign in his followers, however Rodolphus was quickly falling out of his favor and the rest of the inner circle could sense it. Even his brother had been keeping his distance. If Rodolphus was aware of his plummeting status, he must have thought insulting two of their Lord's favored was the correct way to go about fixing it. "I have yet to lower myself to whoring myself out to a mudblood and a blood traitor. How far you must have fallen to be needed for only your bodies and not the so called skills you posses." The younger Lestrange brother taunted as he sat back in his chair. Bellatrix growled at the barb, but made no moves toward her husband. The Dark Lord smiled at her restraint. "On the contrary Rodolphus, you will lower yourself to any standard I see fit. You are a tool, and I will use you as such. Perhaps whoring would make better use of your presence as you have yet to complete the task assigned to you. But from what has been said, I can only imagine that we'd lose support and I'm looking to gain it." Rodolphus paled at the Dark Lord's words. "M-my Lord.." Rodolphus stammered but was silenced with a glare. "It is time the rest of you were filled in on the next phase of our plans."

* * *

Dumbledore's office was cluttered as usual, the three occupants were seated around the Headmaster's desk. "What are they planning Severus?" Minerva asked with barely masked concern. "He plans to woo the three of them over to his side. "All three of them? I was expecting Andromeda and Nymphadora, but Hermione as well?" Dumbledore stated, sounding perplexed. "We all know that she is the reason Potter's survival. Bringing her to their side would bring them that much close to victory. And with The Order acting the way they are, it probably wouldn't take much convincing." The potions master responded. Minerva shook her head, "It just doesn't make any sense, she's a muggleborn." Dumbledore nodded, "I have to agree with Minerva, Severus, bringing in a muggleborn would alienate him from what have been his most loyal followers. Tom wouldn't take such a risk this close to war. It's more likely that he's trying to isolate her to eliminate her. In any case, we need to make sure that the trio remains on good terms." The Head of Slytherin made a move to say more, but closed his mouth and sat back. The Headmaster and Head of Gryffindor talked for a few more minutes before they reached a a possible solution. "The simplest way to go about things would be to form a romantic attachment." Dumbledore stated simply. "She fancied Ron last year, and it's clear that he's sweet on her. Perhaps they just need to be nudged in the...right direction." McGonagall looked at him, shocked. "You can't honestly be suggesting that we meddle in the love lives of _children_, Albus." The Headmaster met her incredulous gaze head on. "We must do what is necessary for the greater good Minerva. It's worked before, and it will work now, we cannot allow the darkness to win. Tom cannot be able to see his plans come to fruition." Severus tried his best not to reveal his emotions, and kept his walls tight. His mind was racing at the implications that the older wizard had made, and found himself wondering just how far his pushes in the right direction had gone. Minerva was looking at their leader in an entirely new light, the Headmaster had shown a few of his true colors, and they were not red and gold. The sorting hat was never wrong.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**A/N:** Hello everyone, how was your week? Great I hope. Mine was great, thanks for all the reviews, I really hope you guys keep it up. Here's the beginning of the weekend's update. I hope you like it. Read, follow, fav, review, and enjoy!

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Hermione was hoping that the next day things would return to normal, but she hoped in vain. That morning at breakfast she received an owl. She didn't recognize it, but it was apparent that quite a few people did. He was a large vicious looking bird, with bright gold eyes, with a scar running across the right one. She slowly reached out and retrieved the letter it held in its beak. She was about to open it, when the owl hooted and pecked at her fingers. She glared at the bird and gave him some of her sausage. After the owl took off, the rest of the owls followed several moments later. She had to wonder who's owl it was. "What the hell Hermione?!" She looked to Ron and saw that his face had turned red. "What is it now Ronald?" She sighed, in no mood for his bull-headed ways. "Do you have any idea who's bloody bird that was?" She merely raised an eyebrow at his question. "So that's it then? You've got nothing to say for yourself. Come on Harry, let's go." Ron stormed off and the chosen one followed looking confused. Hermione glared at the back of Ron's head until it was out of sight. "Bellatrix." Hazel eyes looked to Ginny in confusion. Ginny elaborated, "That was Bellatrix's owl. It's the scar that gives him away. Well that and almost the other owls are scared shitless of him." The redhead spoke softly, she gave Hermione a look that the bookworm couldn't quite place and left. Hermione sighed and glanced at the letter, her name was written beautifully, and her heart thudded. An image of the dark haired witch came unbidden to the forefront of her mind. She shook her head clearing the remnants of dark fiery eyes from her mind and stood, grabbing the letter she left the Great Hall to gather her books, she had double potions first thing and was hoping to get things over with quickly. Her hopes were quickly dashed when Professor Snape paired her with Draco. The first few minutes of gathering ingredients were tense and silent, and Hermione was holding her breath waiting for the bullying to begin. It took the chocolate haired witch by surprise when he reached out and grabbed her hand. "You're supposed to crush them, not dice. If I hadn't had noticed we'd be in the same position as Finnigan and Longbottom." The blonde boy nodded in Seamus and Neville's direction. She followed his line of sight just to see the last diced bits fall into the cauldron. Nothing happened for several moments, but as Neville made moves to stir the concoction the explosion shook the room. She looked to Draco, "Thank you, I wasn't really paying attention." The Slytherin Prince shrugged, "Don't thank me, I know I wouldn't be nearly as dashing without eyebrows." Hermione chuckled, and was tempted to say something witty, but thought better of it. Together, they finished the potion in record time and with the highest marks in the class.

* * *

Rodolphus was staring at the fireplace, silently fuming over The Dark Lord's plans and his fall from grace. It would seem that he had fallen to the rank of that rat Pettigrew, unofficially. He needed to do to something to fix that, and put him back in good standing with the other Death Eaters before he could work on a plan to take Voldemort down. He would never follow a man who favored witches and depended on mudbloods and blood traitors. He would follow no one. He would rule. And then he would make them pay. With a loud crack he apparated out of The Manor.

It had need several hours since Bellatrix had last seen her husband. She didn't trust him. She knew the only reason he was still considered a part of the Inner Circle was because both she and Rabastan were more than useful to their Lord. She thought about the delightfully painful ways to end her husband's life as she walked down the steps of the dungeon. She looked at the cells and sighed. "We're running out of subjects." She watched in delight as those still in the cell shook with fear. "I know, I sent out a hunting party, but they were apprehended by Nymphadora." The curly haired witch glared at her partner's back. "I can hear that smile from here. Stop being a proud parent and be an outraged villain." Lilith chuckled. "I can't help it. We sent at least ten of them. Even if there skills weren't up to par, the numbers advantage is nothing to sneeze at." Charcoal eyes rolled, before they narrowed. "They look well looked after." "That's because they are, if this is going to work we need accurate data. Unless you plan on fasting for several weeks before hand." Lilith replied. "Did you come down here to work or play mommy? You are aware that we have a timetable." Bellatrix mocked. "Well seeing as I'm the one readying the charts and you are looking after the subjects, I'd be tempted to ask you the same thing." The older witch growled and looked into the cell. She flicked her wand and the heavy door swung open. She strode in and stunned a young woman, dragging her out she closed the door once again. "I was just simply looking for the best one. What's on the menu for today?" She asked as she hauled the young blonde onto the table, tying her to it. "Intravenous injection." Bellatrix smiled. "I'll call for Lucius."

* * *

The Order members who weren't stationed in Hogwarts were once again gathered in Grimmauld Place. "It's true, I was there, I saw it." Lupin said grimly. "I don't believe it, she would never betray Harry or Ron like that." The Weasly Matriarch protested. "What did you expect after she spent so much time with the other two. Those witches, they're unnatural." Mad-Eye Moody grumbled. "And let's not forget that Tonks may well be Lilith's child. You all remember what she was like in school..in the war." Arthur added. "Even if it's true, that still doesn't mean that it's too late for her. She can be saved, I am certain that she was smart enough to stave off most of the corruption. All she needs is to be brought back into the light." Molly said, looking to the rest of the members. "If? What do you mean if? I just told you lot that I saw her leave with Lilith, do you need to see the memories for yourselves?" Lupin asked incredulously. "Watch your mouth, as if we'd ever willingly delve into that monstrous mind of yours. Sirius may have tolerated your outbursts but we will not." Mad-Eye spat. Lupin growled lowly before turning and exiting the building. None of The Order members made a move to stop his departure.

Lupin found himself angrily roaming the streets of Wizard London with no real destination in mind. All he wanted was to blow off steam, Moony was yanking at his chains with ferocity as Lupin's anger fed him. The full moon was fast approaching and he had yet to make preparations. Lupin stopped mid-stride when he sensed someone following him. He stood straight and looked around but could see no one that stood out among the crowded streets. He searched the crowd for a few more moments, ignoring the curses and grumbles of witches and wizards who had to go out of their way to avoid the lanky man. Still finding nothing to warrant the feeling, the ex-DADA professor turned and continued his aimless walk. As he passed an alleyway, a hand shot out and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him into the darkness. The red hot tip of a wand pressed against his neck kept him from making any sudden movements. He internally cursed at his dismissal of Moony's paranoia, the wolf was rarely wrong. "Remus, old friend, long time no see." Rodolphus drawled. The werewolf glared into the dark brown eyes of the Death Eater. "Rodolphus, what a surprise. I would have figured you would be hiding behind your wife's skirts and not slithering about alone." The Death Eater sneered and slammed the taller man into the brick wall behind him. Lupin's head hit the wall and bounced back causing his neck to be pressed deeper onto the wand that now felt significantly hotter. "Do not mention that bitch. She will get hers soon enough." Lupin's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he didn't question the statement. "If you're going to kill me get it over with, I would rather not waste the last moments of my life listening to whatever it is you have to say." Rodolphus laughed, "Oh believe me, old friend, you are going to want to listen to what I have to say. More than that, you're going to love it."

* * *

Voldemort was sitting in his study thinking. From his lieutenants' reports they had begun making significant progress on their assignment, the spellwork was complete, but they still needed to find the best way to introduce the catalyst without the loss of life. He had faith, the two witches worked marvelously together. He often wondered if he had made the right decision all those years ago, it was too soon after Andromeda's betrayal and both Lilith and Bellatrix were still picking up the pieces, ordering them to make a child together could have saved or damned them all. And now it was too late for that, when their assignment was complete, it would be the trump card that Albus would never foresee and the end of the petty resistance that was The Order of the Phoenix. He was almost tempted to laugh, but it wasn't time for that yet. There was still so much to do, but everything was going according to plan, so he did allow himself a small smile of satisfaction.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**A/N:** Here's part two of his weekend's update. I hope you like it. Until next weekend dear readers. Thanks for the reviews! Read, follow, fav, review, enjoy!

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Tonks was glaring at the files in front of her, almost a week ago she and Estelle had defeated a group of wizards who had been involved in the mass abductions. She was surprised that none of them bore The Mark and that they came from small families on both sides of the war. She was certain that they weren't the masterminds behind the curtain, but she couldn't figure out who was. There were abductions from small and large families on both sides, and her stomach dropped at the thought of another player coming into the pending war. Her musings were interrupted by a voice, "You know, those files could possibly catch fire from the intensity of your stare." She looked up and was shocked to see Lilith standing there. She hadn't spoken to the woman since their confrontation at Hammerstone, but the corporate head had also made no attempts to contact her. Until now. "What are you doing here?" The young Auror asked, with a wave of her hand the files closed. Lilith looked impressed for a moment before responding, "I came to invite you to lunch. I was hoping you had also inherited my appetite." Lilith made no attempt to lower her voice, letting the whole department know that Tonks was indeed her child. The bubblegum haired Auror was tempted to decline, but her stomach growled loudly, she blushed and cursed herself for not making breakfast. Lilith chuckled, and offered her arm, Tonks walked around her desk but made no moves to take the offered limb. The blue haired woman looked at her daughter and shrugged goodnaturedly, before leading the way to their destination. Tonks spared a glance over her shoulder to see the reactions of her coworkers. They varied between, anger, disgust, smugness, and curiosity. She hoped that she would be able to gather some information on what Voldemort and his men were up to, it would probably be the only way to placate their anger.

The restaurant was fancy and secluded, Tonks wanted to comment about Lilith keeping her a secret, but with the statement she made at the Auror's office she knew that wasn't the case. "Why did you bring me here?" Tonks questioned. Lilith sat back, "Straight to business then, I was hoping you'd at least wait until the appetizers had arrived. Very well, I invited you here because I would like to see what kind of woman my daughter has become." Tonks bristled, "No, I am not your daughter, you did not raise me." "I may not have raised you, but I have kept you out of danger since you were conceived." the older witch retorted. Tonks looked at her confused, "What do you mean?" The conversation was paused as their waiter arrived with the appetizers. When he was out of earshot Lilith answered, "Do you honestly think that they would have let you live if they knew you were my daughter from the start? You are the child of both a Bolton and a Black, two of the darkest families in wizarding history. They are against your very existence." Tonks wanted to argue, but she had been to plenty of Order meetings, she knew their fear of such things. "And what of your Master, he doesn't fear such a child? He was defeated by one!" Lilith glared at her, "He was not defeated. Mind your tongue on matters you know nothing about. But to answer your question no, he does not fear power, he encourages it." Tonks had nothing to say, so she sampled the stuffed mushrooms. She barely stopped herself from groaning. _'Damn, those things are heaven.'_ She looked across the table to see Lilith in a similar state. "How did I end up being sorted into Hufflepuff? If I'm supposed to be some sort of magical powerhouse, why there?" Lilith chewed for a few moments and swallowed before answering, "I couldn't risk them finding out. If you had been sorted into Slytherin or Ravenclaw you might have stood out, while it's not unheard of for half-bloods to be sorted into those houses, I couldn't risk anyone being suspicious of your parentage. And I'd be thrice damned if I let any child of mine wear red and gold. Hufflepuff would keep you safe, so even when you started coming into your own, they would only ever equate you to an above average Hufflepuff."

* * *

Hermione had yet to read the letter Bellatrix had sent her, or the journal, both facts were driving her mad. A few days after she had received the letter, things between herself and the boys had gone back to normal, almost. She had heard that the boys had been called into the Headmaster's office, and while she was glad his talk with them had brought them to their senses, she was also saddened by the fact that the man had to intervene to get them to start talking to her again. The thing was, now they rarely left her side, they were always hovering over her and when she went up to her rooms, her dormmates bothered her to no end. She managed to give her friends the slip while they were changing classes, and was now seated in one of the windows f the astronomy tower. She only had ten minutes before lunch started, and as much as she wanted to read the journal she knew she wouldn't be able to put it down once she started. So she opened up her Potions textbook and pulled out the still unread letter. She broke the seal and hesitantly opened the letter. She read the contents and gasped. She quickly reread it to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

:::::

I haven't been able to keep my mind off of you since the other day.

The way you were able to look me in the eye and not flinch or look away.

There was more than just a spark, my ears were graced with the roar of a crackling flame.  
A roar couldn't be more accurate, so little brave and brash Gryffindor, do you want to play this game?

You're scared, but all too curious to let this go.  
But I am a simple woman, all I need is an answer, a yes, or a no.

:::::

The letter was simple, and all too telling, her attraction to the dark witch was insane and dangerous. But she had drempt of charcoal eyes and vicious smiles countless times the past few nights. She wasn't stupid, she knew seduction was a well used tactic to entice people to switch sides, but if the attraction went both ways then the seductress could also become the seduced. Not to mention that Hermione was sure Bellatrix's allegiance was a packaged deal. It wouldn't be a leap to suspect that wherever the crazed witch went Lilith, and perhaps even Narcissa followed. She knew for a fact the Nacrissa was also part of a set. In all The Dark Lord was gambling most of his funds, and five of his followers on this one move. It seemed absolutely reckless, but no one makes a bet like that without betting against something. She had to wonder what the man was thinking. On her way down from the astronomy tower she thought about consulting with the boys, or maybe even Dumbledore himself, but decided against it. She couldn't tell Harry because of his connection with Voldemort, and Ron seemed to be getting less rational with each passing day. She doubted Dumbledore or McGonagall would be in favor of taking such a risk; but there was one other person she could ask.

* * *

After lunch Severus was looking forward to his quiet planning period, he was hoping to get a chance to make his midterm as difficult as possible, but as the door to his classroom was opened he sighed. He was surprised to see Hermione closing his classroom door after her. "What is it Miss Granger? I have duties of higher significance than answering a homework question." he stated dismissively. "This isn't about homework professor. I need advice." He looked to her blankly so she continued, her tone hushed, "I have the opportunity to bring others over to our side, but it's risky. Very risky." "Explain." After a quick retelling of recent events she waited for the dour man to respond. "You are right, it is quite a risk, for both sides. If the Dark Lord loses this gambit he loses some of his strongest supporters, if The Headmaster loses, he essentially loses Potter's ability to survive. The outcome of the war could very well be decided by this power play." The bookworm rolled her eyes, "Yes, I know all of that, which is why I am here asking for advice." The professor sneered at the girl's snarky tone. "This comes done to little more than a bet of loyalty. Do you think that your will to protect Harry is stronger than hers to serve her Lord? If so then the answer is simple, take the bet. If you aren't sure, then you have no choice but to let this opportunity pass. There may be other moments in the future, but they may not be as defining as this one." Hermione nodded, "Thank you Professor." With that, she turned and exited the class room. Severus sighed and wished he had a window to gaze out of, he had set things into motion, where they would go was another subject entirely. He rubbed his left forearm, he would need to report to The Dark Lord soon.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**A/N: **Hello readers, here we are for the next update. I'm glad you enjoyed the last one. Read, review, follow, fav, and enjoy!

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"I'll have to be honest, I'm impressed Rodolphus. Managing the capture of Lupin unaided must have been difficult, but you were successful in your task, and now we have another spy within The Order." Voldemort spoke genuinely. Rodolphus bowed deeper, "Thank you My Lord, and thank you for allowing me a chance at redemption." The Dark Lord smirked, "You just lacked the proper motivation to preform at your best, but be sure not to slip again, I am forgiving to those useful to me. And even that forgiveness has limits. You may be seated." Rodolphus flinched, "Of course My Lord." Bellatrix grumbled at her husband's success and restoration of his status by the skin of his teeth, but even she had to admit that capturing a werewolf single-handedly a few days before the full moon was impressive. "Bella, what news do you have?" Bellatrix stood and approached The Dark Lord's throne, bowing before she spoke, "The Granger girl has agreed to my courtship." she responded, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice. It had been a long time since anyone had caught her attention the way the younger witch had. She was excited to see how things developed. A few of the members of the Inner Circle shifted uncomfortably at the news, still wary of allowing a mudblood to join their ranks. The Dark Lord nodded, "Excellent, and what of your progress on the task assigned you?" "We have found two ways to introduce the catalyst that have not resulted in the loss of life. Once Lilith returns from France we will begin work on how to magnify the results without losing accuracy." The Dark Lord rubbed his hands together, "Fantastic, everything is on schedule. The Order is unraveling and we have yet to make a real move. If there is nothing else I will adjourn this meeting." None of his followers made moves to add anything, so he motioned a dismissal with his hand, "Bella, stay and talk with me a moment."

Once everyone had filed out of the room, Voldemort spoke, "How are you fairing?" Looking to his second in command, he had noticed the dark rings under her eyes and the faint tremors in her hands. "They get harder to ignore when she's not here to distract me. The raids help, but not much." Bellatrix responded softly. "You haven't slept." It wasn't a question, but the witch responded anyway. "No, I keep dreaming of everything. Azkaban especially. I had to relive that night countless times, I can recount every detail, down to the tear tracks running down her face and how they glinted in the candlelight. I don't want to see it again if I can help it. I need to be at full strength, and the only way to do that at the moment is not to sleep." Voldemort stood and wrapped an arm around her. "I am sorry wasn't there that night, if I knew what he had planned I would have stopped him. I would have let you end his life sooner. It is one of my biggest regrets. But we will fix it, the task is nearly done." Bellatrix nodded and leaned slightly into her Lord's embrace.

* * *

It had been several days since she had told Bellatrix that she was interested in playing whatever game she had in mind. She knew she was being impatient but she had expected a response by now. She twisted Andromeda's ring around her middle finger as she made her way down the steps of the dormitory. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were waiting for her in the common room. Ron smiled at her and Harry nodded, Ginny however seemed to be miffed over something. She was about to ask the youngest Weasly what was the matter, when Ron and Harry each took one of her arms. "Come on 'Mione let's get some breakfast before Ron's stomach eats itself." The green eyed boy joked. Hermione laughed and nodded, making a note to talk to Ginny later. Breakfast felt more normal than it had in the passed few days. Hermione was laughing at a of the story of one of the Weasly twins notorious pranks when she reached for her pumpkin juice. She was about to bring the cup to her lips when she felt a redhot burning sensation across her middle finger. She yelped and dropped the cup. The contents of the cup spilled and the burning ceased. She glanced from the ring to her drink, and slowly pulled out her wand, she checked her drink for anything out of the ordinary and shocked at what she found. Amortentia. Her eyes snapped up to see both Ron and Harry look away guiltily, and her heart shattered. Well, Harry looked guilty, Ron seemed more disappointed than anything. Which answered the question of who her intended was to be. Telling her right away that they hadn't just known about it, they had agreed too it. She didn't even spare a glance to the table where the professors were eating breakfast. Just barley holding back tears she fled through the double doors of the Great Hall, ignoring the shouts of her name from behind.

Ginny found her quite easily near the shores of Black Lake, Hermione glared at her as the young redhead approached. Ginny slowed her stride as she got closer, slowly lifting her hands into the air. "I know what you must be thinking. But it wasn't their idea." Hermione's face darkened as she stood, drawing her wand in the process. "Oh yeah? How could you possibly know what I'm thinking?!" She spat. Ginny flinched at the anger in the older girl's tone. Hermione noticed but continued, "It wasn't their idea? That's all you have to say for them? It doesn't matter if it was their bloody idea or not, they fucking went through with it! We're supposed to be best friends and they do that? What the fuck is wrong with you people?!" By the end of her tirade, angry tears had made tracks down her face and she was shaking. Ginny was at a loss of what to do, she had known that her brother and Harry had been up to something after Dumbledore had called them into his office, but this isn't what she had expected at all. She was angry as well, but she knew that she had to be the one to act rationally; Because the boys never did, and it seemed like the normally level-headed bookworm was less inclined to do so at the moment. The youngest Weasly could see no other way to get them out of the explosive situation other than to explain how they reached this point. She just hoped it would be helpful, and not make things worse.

* * *

Dumbledore was in his office pacing, Minerva and Severus were there as well trying their best not to glare at the man. "This is bad." Severus rolled his eyes, "Of course this is bad, you effectively drove the wedge further between them. This will make it that much easier for The Dark Lord to bring her into the fold." The old wizard gave the potions master a sharp look, "I have told you, there is no way that Tom would risk so many of his followers. You were given false information. It happens Severus, but you have to let it go." Minerva cut in, "Wether or not he had bad information, you made a worse call. What on Earth were you thinking Albus? She's the brightest witch of her age, and you thought you would be able to slip her a love potion? And don't even get me started on the ethics of that! We are supposed to be fighting for the light! How can we claim to do so if we are willing to brainwash our comrades?" The Headmaster waved his hand dismissively, "Being the brightest witch of her age has nothing to do with it. How could she have known? What did I miss?" Snape looked to his mentor anger bubbling in his stomach as he pieced together a puzzle that had been unsolved for years. He stood abruptly, causing the Head of Gryffindor to jump in surprise. "If you'll excuse me, Headmaster, I have a class to prepare for." the dungeon bat grit out. He glanced at Minerva, but said nothing and left.

* * *

Most of the true Inner Circle was gathered once again in Voldemort's study. Severus had managed to slip away from the castle under the cover of night and report the recent events. Although he did keep his speculations to himself for the moment until he had further evidence. Acting solely on speculation was how The Order was in their current predicament, and he would rather not risk his neck over wild theories. Voldemort was surprised at Dumbledore's actions, it was quite a risk to take, and one that ended up failing miserably. And miserably was putting it all too kindly, things were playing out in their favor and they needed to capitalize on it immediately. He had instructed Bellatrix to wait to contact the girl again, and now was the perfect time. He looked to his lieutenant, who nodded in response. "We have been given a grand opportunity, we won't waste it being idle. Lucius, are your people in The Ministry ready to move forward?" The blonde man nodded, "Yes my Lord, we don't even need to wait for the ink to dry. We can have the motion on the floor before all of the members have their seats." The Dark Lord smirked. "That's what I like to hear. Now Severus, I need you to pass along a message to Draco."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A/N:** Good morning readers, here's part two of the weekend update. I hope you guys enjoy it and have a great week. Until next time! Read, review, fav, follow, and enjoy!

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The passed few days had been a flurry of activity at The Ministry. It all started with Lucius Malfoy's proposal of a promotion, not for himself, but for Auror Nymphadora Tonks. The move came as a shock to those on the side of the Light in The Ministry, and they had been stalling. The promotion would mean that Tonks would have more power and resources at her disposal, but with Lilith's informal acknowledgment of the bubble gum haired witch's parentage they had become increasingly suspicious of her. Coupled with the fact that the young woman had gone to lunch with the corporate head, they were unsure of how to move forward. The Auror had only attended two of the recent Order meetings, which was one more than her mother, both of which resulted in accusations and shouting; further splintering the Tonks women from the group. The Order had actually met upwards of twelve times, which was rather reckless, The Order members knew they were constantly followed, but the internal panic over the loyalties of some of their most powerful allies had caused them to be sloppy. Voldemort was close to finding the current headquarters, and was plotting what to do when the location was pinpointed. Even though Lupin was just barely tolerated, he was present at all of the recent meetings. It seemed that without their fearless leader to direct them they were allowing their fearless and paranoia to run wild. It was a vicious cycle, each of their fears fed into one another; making the next meeting more unstable than the last. Dumbledore was helpless to stop it because he was busy trying to pick up the pieces of his current failure. Voldemort couldn't be more pleased with the current state of things. The war was about to begin, and their enemies were too busy in their own affairs to notice the shift. His followers had been training hard and as soon as Lilith returned, the testing would resume. The war was nearly won before it had even begun, and that's exactly what he wanted.

* * *

It had been three weeks since the incident in the Great Hall, and the rumor mill had been working day and night trying to figure out why the Golden Trio, had yet again become the Golden Duo. Hermione, however paid no attention to the rumors and avoided her "best friends" and the rest of her house like the plague. She still talked to Ginny but even that interaction was now strained. She couldn't believe that The Order was so easily lead on, just a few hints and ludicrous suggestions and they were up in arms claiming that she, Tonks, and Andromeda were siding with the dark. She was mad at her friends and allies, but that didn't mean that she was giving up on their cause. She had written the young Auror to congratulate her on her promotion, only to learn that it had caused her to be in a highly precarious position within The Order and that Andromeda had all but been formally kicked out. The middle Black sister had reached out to the bookworm, and the two had made up quickly. The brightest witch of her age was tempted to talk to the older woman about what had caused the split between her and the boys, but decided that bringing it up would do more harm than good. Not to mention that the very reason she was not dopey and love-struck over Ron was because of an item that she had stolen from her. _'The only item of use.'_ The young Gryffindor internally huffed. She had finally been able to read and re-read the journal, and she was beside herself on what to do. To the naked eye it seemed like there were no more than one or two sentences per page of the events of the day, but considering the rest of the contents of the chest, Hermione highly doubted that was actually the case. Which is what led her to her current location: the library. But more importantly, the restricted section. Being Madame Pince's favorite student of all time came with certain perks. She was searching for books on encryption spells, but wasn't exactly sure where to start looking. "Looking for anything in particular?" A voice asked curiously from behind her. Hermione jumped and turned around, shocked to see the smirking face of Draco Malfoy. "How did you get in here?" "Sneaking around is one of the many skills required to join the Slytherin ranks, we have a competition and everything." The blonde boy replied, smirking wider. Hermione growled lowly, "Shut it ferret, or I'll be tempted to give you a walk down memory lane, our third year specifically." There was a tense silence before they both chuckled. Reaching into his robes the Malfoy heir produced a letter, Hermione's face lit up as she recognized the flowing script on the outside of the letter. A few days after the incident Bellatrix had contacted her again, but in an unexpected way, through Draco. They now exchanged letters regularly and The Gryiffindor Princess had slightly warmed to the company of The Slytherin Prince. "But seriously, what are you looking for, I spent a lot of time here last year. Maybe I could help?" Hermione chewed her lip in thought, she hated to admit it but keeping everyone at arms length had been especially lonely since she gotten used to having company. "Alright, you can help, but if you annoy me I'm kicking you out." Draco chuckled, "I'm sure you have the patience of a saint dealing with all the members in your house." Hermione's eyes narrowed and Draco raised his hands, surrendering to her terms. "Well come on then." Together they walked deeper into the restricted section.

* * *

There was a knock at the door stirring Andromeda from her aimless staring. Footsteps in the Lake, one of her favorite books lay unopened in her lap. She stood, placing the book on the couch and wordlessly summoning her wand and approached the door. Opening the door, she was pushed back into the house by Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Lupin, Arthur, and Molly. She raised an eyebrow at her unexpected guests, "Oh, are you all here for a meeting? Should I excuse myself?" She asked sarcastically, cocoa eyes cold and angry. "You put yourself in this position, do not get smart with me." Mad-Eye hissed. "I'd have to hit my head several times over to not be smart to the lot of you." Andromeda shot back. Mad-Eye stepped forward, but Kingsley held him back. "What are you doing in my house anyway? I was sure The Order had washed their hands of me and had moved on to exiling my daughter." "We're here to discuss some things with you." Kingsley stated.

Bellatrix was winning her chess match against her sister, she was thoroughly enjoying the distressed look on her baby sisters face as her pieces dominated the board. Lilith was sitting off to the side, keeping score and rooting for whichever sister happened to be winning at the moment, much to the chagrin of the siblings. The curly haired witch was about to make her move, when an intense blast of magic knocked the table over. Bellatrix jumped in shock and looked to Lilith. The indigo haired woman was standing, looking at her feet, and breathing heavily, "Narcissa, go inside and get Our Lord... Lucius and Antonin as well. Quickly." The blonde nodded and took the long way into The Manor. Bellatrix stood slowly and approached even slower. "Hey, take it easy, no one's going to hurt you." She spoke softly. She was able to brace herself in time for the next burst of magic, she was pushed back few inches but she wasn't deterred. She managed to get within arms length of her friend, there was movement off to the side and she was relieved to see that the rest of her family had arrived and moved to surround them, the relief was brief however when Lilith's head snapped up and their eyes met. Violet had started to burst through the gray of Lilith's irises as they darted around, taking in the current situation. Lilith stepped back and Bellatrix panicked, she leapt to close the distance but the crack of apparition reached her ears before their bodies collided.

* * *

The pain had stopped. The room was no longer filled with her screams. Andromeda's eyes cracked open to see the lifeless eyes of Kingsley Shacklebolt staring back at her. The sickening thud of flesh on bone caused her to turn to her left, the face of Alistar Moody was hardly recognizable. The figure that straddled him had caved in his skull, but was still pummeling the clearly dead man. The living room was in shambles and there was a lot of blood, more than just two bodies worth. Andromeda wondered if the others had made it out alive; if they had, they were almost certainly gravely injured. She tried to speak but her voice was too hoarse, and could only manage to groan. The darkness at the edges of her vision began to creep inwards as she watch the figure turn in her direction. She watched their hesitant approach, with her remaining strength she reached out to them. The tingle on her skin as they touched her confirmed what she had hoped. The last things she felt before succumbing to the pull of unconsciousness were being taken into Lilith's arms and the pull of apparition.

The atmosphere at The Manor was tense, so tense that even the lowest of underlings could tell that something was off. All The Dark Lord and the true Inner Circle could do was wait and hope that whatever chaos Lilith created in her current state would be manageable enough not to delay their plans. Bellatrix was pacing the throne room, mentally berating herself for reacting too slowly. Voldemort was frowning deeply, if Lilith's nature was revealed it would be absolutely detrimental to their side. The familiar crack of apparition echoed throughout the estate and Bellatrix rushed to the windows of the throne room before rushing out heading for the gardens. The rest of the occupants in the room didn't need to look to see who had arrived and followed quickly behind the eldest Black.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**A/N:** Sorry the update is later in the day than usual, this week has been kinda crazy, hopefully I'll be able to get the second part of this weekend update done in time now that things have slowed down. If not it'll be a triple update starting on Friday. Anyway here's part one. Read review and enjoy! Oh and for the review that asked what year it was, were you meaning the year of schooling or the actual date?

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Nymphadora stood in the living room of her childhood home, her hair was black and her attitude grim. The room itself was in shambles, walls with massive holes or what looked to be claw marks, furniture destroyed, blood splatter everywhere, and a nearly suffocating amount of magic still lingering in the air. Her superior had assigned her and Estelle to the case because it involved another abduction, and seeing that her mother had been a player on both sides she was the perfect fit for an a potential victim. This was however, the only case that had also resulted in the loss of life. She shook her head in sadness at the passing of Kingsley, he was a good man, and one of the only people with common sense within The Order. She felt almost nothing for Mad-Eye, the man was a sexist bigot and a detriment to their cause for equality for all. Though their presence within her mother's house was worrisome. She knew that her mother was no longer considered an Order member and she couldn't think of a reason why the men would be there. She had asked Arthur about it but the man was evasive and no help at all. She saw him limping before she left to the crime scene and taking it all in she had to wonder if Kingsley and Mad-Eye were the only people present at the impromptu meeting. She wanted to believe that it was a coincidence and that the rest of The Order knew nothing, but she had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She could only think of two people to turn to, and decided to speak with the one she knew she could trust the most. "I'm going to try to get in contact with some people, if we're lucky, the kidnappers finally got sloppy." She said to her partner. The green eyed woman, who had been examining a large puddle of blood, stood and faced her. Estelle placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it'll be alright. We'll find who did this, and when we do, we'll save her. We'll save all of them." Nymphadora glared at her, "Don't patronize me. You know as well as I do that we're dealing with professionals. There is a time limit on my mother's life, and we may not make it." She jerked her shoulder causing the hand there to fall, and strode out the door.

Hermione was hesitant as she reached the gargoyle that led to the Headmaster's office. She had no idea what awaited her, but she knew whatever it was, she would have to be prepared. The rest of the student body was at the gates, preparing for their trip to Hogsmeade, and she was very wary of the timing. She discreetly moved her wand to a more accessible position and mumbled "Licorice snaps." The gargoyle nodded and the staircase appeared. The entire trek up she twisted Andromeda's ring around her finger. When she opened the door the old wizard was nowhere to be found, only a dark haired figure facing away from her. Hermione closed the door loudly and the figure turned to face her. "Hermione." "Tonks? What are you doing here." The Gryffindor asked clearly confused. Once again taking in her friend's appearance she quickly asked, "Is everything alright?" The raven haired Auror shook her head and glanced around the office, gray eyes scanning the paintings. "I was hoping I could speak to you...perhaps somewhere else. Hopefully it won't take up much of your time." The younger woman nodded. "Of course, I know a place." The two witches finally made it to one of the top floors of the Astronomy Tower. "Don't worry, people don't usually come up here. Too many stairs." They sat there in a heavy silence for several minutes before Tonks sighed and spoke, "The reason I'm able to see you is because of an investigation. Lots of people have been disappearing without a trace, my mother went missing yesterday, and Mad-Eye and Kings are dead." Hermione gasped, "Tonks..I'm so sorry, do you have any leads?" "No. Not one. Only suspicions. I can't stop asking myself why Kings and Mad-Eye were there in the first place." The Auror said, running a hand through her hair. Hermione's mind was racing as Tonks pointed out the rather large point of intrigue. "What are you going to do?" she asked, her mind still running through possible scenarios. "Talk to the only other person who may have had contact with her. But before that, I'd like to bounce some theories off of you."

* * *

Andromeda woke with a start and moved to sit up, she hissed at the throbbing on her right side. "Don't make any sudden movements. You've been unconscious for three days." The chestnut haired witch recognized the voice immediately. She looked toward the window and saw her younger sister sitting in a chair by the window. Her blue eyes alight with a cold rage. They stared at each other for a long time before Andromeda looked away. "Is...is she alright?" The older witch asked softly, her eyes fixed on the silver duvet. She missed her sister's sneer, "Lilith is being taken care of. We've gotten used to having to do that in your absence." Andromeda's brow furrowed in anger, "Do you think I wanted things to turn out the way they did? I never could have imagined how any of this would have come to pass." "It didn't seem like much of an issue when you fucked that Tonks boy and broke her heart." Narcissa retorted. "Do you have any idea what that did to her? What it did to us?! Do you even care?!" The blonde witch continued, her voice getting louder with every word. Tears threatened to fall but Narcissa was too angry to let them and took a deep breath. "Once you're fully healed Our Lord will decide what to do with you. Do not try to leave, do not try to contact anyone." The Lady of The Manor spoke in an even tone. "Nymphadora, I need to tell her I'm alright, I have to write her at least. Please Cissa." Narcissa may have been willing to grant the request, she knew that she would be begging to contact Draco if their positions had been reversed, but the use of her childhood nickname by the person who gave it to her only rubbed salt into an unhealed wound. "No contact of any kind. Not even to your daughter." She stated coldly, she stood and headed to the door. "She's not just my daughter. She's Lilith's as well. Your spite will hurt her unnecessarily, and Lilith wouldn't appreciate that." Narcissa turned and glared at her sister, "You speak as if you are still an expert on her. It's pathetic really, seeing you cling to a memory of a person who is no longer there."

* * *

Tonks left Hermione with plenty of time for the young Gryffindor to enjoy Hogsmeade. It worked out that Tonks had kept her after the initial rush, she didn't have to worry about being hassled in the crowd and Harry and Ron would already be preoccupied. She trekked through the unfamiliar path to the abandoned store. She hesitantly reached out and knocked on the side panel, she held her head up high and met the stare of the dark eyes that were revealed. The doorway opened and Hermione stepped in, turning to the bouncer she thanked him before heading to the back room. She pulled back the drape and her heartbeat tripled at the sight before her. Bellatrix was wearing what appeared to be her signature dress and corset combination. "So, you decided to join me after all, I was wondering if you had gotten cold feet." The older witch stated as she crossed her legs, revealing a long slit up the side. Hermione was temporarily distracted by the flash of smooth pale skin and her response was less than eloquent. "Well,um, patience is a, uh, virtue." Bellatrix smirked wickedly at the young woman's reaction. And replied in a sultry tone, "I'm sure we've exchanged enough letters for you to know how virtuous I am." Smiling in delight as she watched hazel eyes glaze over for a moment. "Well, are you going to stand there the entire time? It's your decision, but these pillows are here for a reason." The dark witch teased, patting the pillow beside her. Hermione blushed deeper and hurriedly sat down, in hopes of avoiding further teasing. "So, what took you so long?" Bellatrix queried, trying to sound uninterested. "I had a prior engagement." Hermione responded thinking back to her distraught friend. 'If Tonks is going to speak to Lilith, I don't see any reason why I can't try to see if Bellatrix knows anything.' She looked over to see Bellatrix staring at her, curiosity burning lowly in her eyes. Hermione internally smiled. "With your niece actually." She waited for her suitor to respond. "Oh, I didn't know you two were close. You two have a nice chat?" Bellatrix tried to keep most of the jealousy out of her voice, she knew how well she played with others, and she had no qualms about..persuading her niece to pursue someone else. "No, not really." Bellatrix's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the younger witch's response. "Really? Why not?" She watched as Hermione looked away anxiously. Hermione had to fight to keep her hormones in check when Bellatrix grasped her chin and turned her head to reinstate the eye contact between them. "Tell me." Hermione hesitated before responding. "It's Andromeda. She was attacked and taken. Tonks doesn't have any leads, I think she mentioned going to see Lilith." Bellatrix released her hold on the young witch and sat back. "Oh, I can see why that would be upsetting." Hermione was shocked. "That's all you have to say? She's still your sister." Hermione bit her tongue, she hadn't meant for that last bit to slip out. She felt the atmosphere of the room thicken, but held her ground. Bellatrix cackled. "Oh there is much more that I have to say. I'm just not sure you're ready to hear it." The older witch had a dark look in her eye, not unlike Lilith's had been, but Hermione sneered at the older woman. "Try me."

* * *

Hermione returned to Hogwarts confused. She had entered this game with Bellatrix, convinced that she would be able to seduce The Dark Lord's second to the side of the Light. But she wasn't so sure that's what they were anymore. How could they be with all that she'd seen in the last month? And from the way Bellatrix, Draco, and even Lilith had been behaving, she had to wonder if her perceptions of The Dark were as accurate as she had always believed. She was too deep in thought to realize that someone was following her through the halls. She was shoved from behind into an empty classroom. She was able to right herself before she fell, and turned to face her assailant. "Ron! What the fuck?!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**A/N:** Hey there readers, sorry about last week but things will be back to normal after this weekend. I left you with another clifhanger, and hopefully the triple update makes up for that. Anyway, read, review, follow, fave, but most importantly: enjoy! I'll see you tomorrow :)

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The redheaded boy was standing in front of the door. Even in the dark setting she could see the angry expression on his face and she guessed, correctly, that his face was also red. The room had been silent for several moments after her exclamation. "Why? Just tell me why." His voice was seeping with anger. When Hermione remained silent his rage only increased. "Answer me! We could have been happy together! Harry and I wouldn't have to worry about you, and then you fucked it all up!" Ron said as he walked across the hallway, he was now a few inches from her, but still blocking the door. Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing, and expressed that much. "Are you bloody mental?! Of course I would have stopped it, even if I did like you. You're such an arrogant prick thinking that you could get the girl without actually trying! You and Harry are worried about me? Me?! I'm your bloody best friend! I've been the one saving your asses since day one! If Harry should be worried about anyone it's you!" Ron scowled. "What are you playing at? I'm Harry's best mate!" "Yes, with the loyalty of a pancake! I don't know how he ended up trusting you more than me." Hermione angrily replied. Ron made a move to draw his wand but Hermione was quicker. Hermione had a dark look on her face as her wand stayed steadily leveled to the redhead's nose. She was too angry to see the slightest glow of the ring on her wand hand, but Ron's eyes, that were fixed on her hand saw it clearly. His hand snapped up, faster than Hermione could react and his grip was harder than she ever would have suspected. She winced as he squeezed harder, his face becoming redder as he reached for Andromeda's ring. There was a flash of light from behind them and Ron's eyes rolled up into his head, before falling to the ground unconscious. Hermione looked to the door and was shocked to see Pansy standing there. There Slytherin did nothing but nod at her before striding away. Ron groaned drawing her attention back to the boy on the floor, she fought not to kick him and left the class room, her wrist throbbing the rest of the way to the dormitories.

* * *

Andromeda couldn't sleep. She was feeling marginally better than she had when she woke up, but her mind was too active to lat her get any rest. She was worried that the rest of The Order would want retaliation for the loss of Mad-Eye and Kingsley and would see her daughter as a suitable target. She sat up further in bed and looked around, it's extravagance was a painful reminder of what she had lost. She looked to the door and her eyes narrowed. Slowly, she made her way out of bed and over to the door. She tried not to scoff at the warding on it, clearly whomever had cast them underestimated her wandless abilities. She cut through them with ease and opened the door, determined to find a way to contact her daughter. But when she stepped outside of the room, she was engulfed in the thick presence of a familiar magic, hanging throughout The Manor like a fog. Her eyes glazed over and she mindlessly walked towards the source, only to be stopped by the heavy door to the dungeon. She easily cut down the wards and descended the steps. The dungeon should have been eerie and foreboding, but the magic that she had been following was thickest and she was sure the source was in one of the cells. The magic began pulsating as soon as she reached the bottom of the steps. The pulses were in beat of her own racing heart. She reached the last cell and the pulsing ceased, as did her own heartbeat for several seconds when she was face to face with a violet eyed Lilith.

The older witch was bound by heavy metal chains, the bonds on her wrists were so tight that they were slowly bleeding. There was also a thick collar around her neck, the chain was connected to the back of the cell. They stared at each other in silence for several long seconds before Andromeda mustered up the courage to reach through the bars. She was inches away from touching the bound woman when a voice stopped her advance and made her blood run cold. "Dear sister, I do believe that you were instructed to stay in your room." Andromeda whipped around and grimaced. She and Bella had always been practically identical, but she hadn't thought about that fact much until now. "Bella…I-" the middle sister was cut off almost immediately. "No, you don't get to call me that! Not after what you've done!" The eldest sister closed the space between faster than Andromeda had anticipated and pinned her against the wall. A growl emanated from within the cell. "Who do you think you are? To just waltz down here and see her! Even after everything you did, she risked everything to save you! She's been like this for three days!" Chains began rattling loudly. Andromeda glared at her sister, "You don't think that I know I didn't deserve to be rescued? Are you so dense that you believe I would willingly abandon everything and everyone that I love? I didn't have a bloody choice!" Bellatrix snarled, drew her wand and pressed it into her younger sister's neck. Andromeda took a step forward and sneered at the half crazed Death Eater. "Bella, I do believe that you are causing more harm than good at the moment." Both witches froze at the sound of Voldemort's voice. Both women realized that they had been so focused on each other that they failed to notice the shift in the magic present in the air. It was absolutely rabid. Bellatrix looked into the cell and winced and the deep bruise that had formed on Lilith's neck as she strained against her bonds. The Dark Lord spoke again, "Perhaps it would be best if we were to continue this reunion elsewhere, my study perhaps?" "Of course, My Lord." Bellatrix replied and stepped away from Andromeda. The middle sister did not verbally respond to the "suggestion" but nodded and cast one last glace to the occupant inside the cell before following the others out of the dungeon.

* * *

Green eyes were glazed over as the Muggle Studies professor droned on about the creation of electricity. The Boy Who Lived was currently battling the pull of sleep, a battle that Ron had already lost. The redheaded boy had face-planted into his text book as soon as the professor had begun his lecture. Harry glanced to the empty seat to his right, he wasn't surprised that it was empty, but it still felt odd not to have Hermione by his side. It was unusual to have Ron at his side instead. He scanned the room and was surprised to see that she had chosen the seat closest to the door, he would have guessed that she would have gone back to her old ways and resumed to sitting in the front of the class. As if feeling his eyes on her, the estranged member of The Golden Trio looked up and met his gaze. Harry swallowed thickly and averted his gaze after seeing the anger and resentment that he saw in her eyes, he had to wonder what happened, usually he could see disappointment and loneliness. What had happened to replace that? He thought back to the night before, Ron was late returning to the dormitories. Extremely late. Harry hoped that he hadn't done anything stupid, but knowing Ron that was probably the case. He sighed, Dumbledore had told them to be wary and keep her at a distance since her allegiance was still uncertain. She was still going to be needed for their fight against the Dark and the way things were looking, The Light was going to need all the help they could get. Besides, once they won the war, she would cease to be useful, what use did The Light have for someone that they could not fully trust?

* * *

Dumbledore was sitting in his office, twirling his wand in his hand, his mind was on the upcoming war. They needed more allies willing to fight for their cause, he knew he could count on most of the student body, many of them would die but their sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. He needed skilled witches and wizards that could be able to put a dent in Tom's forces, but he was at a loss about who to turn to. Perhaps he would reach out to the Spanish and French Ministries, after all if Tom succeeded here France or Spain would be the next obvious targets. The old wizard nodded to himself and chuckled, he prided himself on being able to stay a step ahead of Tom, and he would make his move before Tom had any opportunity to make his.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**A/N: **Here's part two of this weekend's long update. I hope you guys enjoy it! Have a great day.

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It had been eight days. Eight days since Arthur Weasly had been able to sleep. He was constantly taking a combination of pepper up potion and invigoration draught but he could always feel the darkness of sleep in the back of his mind. But if he was honest with himself being awake wasn't any better. He was constantly putting himself back in that room, with that _thing_. It had looked human, but there was no way that it was. It was absolutely impossible. Not after what he had witnessed. He had gone to the Department of the Regulation of Magical Creatures but none of their records described what he had seen. He was terrified, how could they possibly hope to beat that? They had a werewolf, but he was as useless as they were, if not more so. He had poured over the Bolton family tree, trying to find some irregularity, anything to explain what he had seen Lilith do. But there was nothing. He wasn't surprised, a family as ancient and dark as that would always keep their darkest secrets off the books. He was currently at his desk, trying to formulate a plan to get the Ministry to formally investigate the Hammerstone Corperate Head when a hand slammed down on his desk. Arthur jumped at the sound and visibly paled at the sight of an enraged Nymphadora standing on the other side. He opened his mouth to speak but he didn't get the chance, "You are going to tell me why Mad-Eye and Kingsley were at my mother's house. Do not bullshit me." "I-I have no idea, why would I? It's not as if they reported their every move to me." Arthur internally winced at the nervousness in his own voice, if he could hear it he knew that Nymphadora would have picked up on it as well. She sneered and leaned forward, "Now you listen to me you-" "Now, now Nymphadora, there's no reason to be so hostile." The smooth voice of Lucius Malfoy interrupted. "What are you doing here?" Nymphadora spat, the same amount of venom in her voice. "Is that any way to talk to the person who got you your promotion?" Nymphadora scowled and Lucius chuckled, "No matter, I simply came by to invite you to dinner tonight. It will be held at The Manor. If I were you I would attend, never know who you'll see at a _family_ gathering." Before the Auror could respond the blonde mogul had turned and left. Nymphadora turned to Arthur who was now glaring at her, suspicion clear in his eyes. She took half a step towards him and his glare turned into panic. Nymphadora chuckled darkly and left the man at his desk. It was abundantly clear that the remaining members of The Order and those on the side of The Dark knew what had happened to her mother, she would find out one way or another.

* * *

Rodolphus glared at his reflection in the mirror. He was dressed in fancy wizarding robes, and had been instructed to attend the dinner by The Dark Lord. He was furious. They had somehow managed the capture of Andromeda and much to his dismay she was not being held in the dungeons. He had been extremely excited at the thought of paying the middle Black sister a late night visit. The door was still heavily warded and he had been injured by a particularly nasty one in his attempt to get passed them. It had made him angry, and he had intended to take out all of his anger on their new prisoner. But the dungeons were empty. Which only made him angrier. He was itching to take it out on someone, perhaps some of the attendees of the dinner, if he figured he able to take one of them by surprise and finish them off before anyone had the time and sense to react. He was confident he could easily take on the rest of those in attendance on with ease. He smiled to himself. Tonight would be perfect, everyone will have their guard down and he doubted that The Dark Lord was going to be in attendance. So he would be able to take out a majority of the Inner Circle unimpeded. _'Oh yes, tonight is perfect.'_ There was a knock at his door, he strode over and opened it, a slow smile creeped onto his face. "Antonin, I didn't know that you were dining with us." Dolohov smirked, "Oh, I'm not, just got a date tonight is all. And boy, she's a looker. Bella just sent me up to tell you to head to the dining room." Rodolphus' smile dropped. "Ah, I see. I'll be right there." Dolohov shrugged and walked off. Rodolphus closed the door and snatched his wand off his bedside dresser and stored it up his sleeve. He left the room, smirking the entire way down to the dining room.

* * *

]

Nymphadora sighed in relief at the sight of Lilith waiting for her at the floo. She had wondered who would be escorting her, and she was slightly more at ease seeing the older woman. Lilith tilted her head to the side and touched her daughter's black hair. "I expected you to choose a more vibrant color." "There's not much to be bright about lately." Nymphadora retorted. "I suppose that depends on who you're talking to, I happen to think that you being here should be cause for celebration." The Auror took a step back. "I'm not switching sides, I'm here to get information on my mother an that's all." Lilith stepped forward, closing the distance her daughter had created, "You belong with your family, you belong with us." "Are you mental? You aren't my family! I don't even know you. Any of you!" Lilith shrugged, "We have always been family, nothing will change that," the older witch stepped back and turned away, "The dining room is this way." She spoke over her shoulder and began walking. Nymphadora narrowed her eyes at the sapphire haired woman's back but followed a few paces behind. They paused at a pair of large double doors, Lilith looked over and raised her eyebrows, Nymphadora took a deep breath and nodded at the unspoken question. With her daughter's confirmation Lilith pushed open the doors. Nymphadora's eyes scanned the occupants of the room and her heart stopped. Tears sprung to her eyes as she quickly closed the distance between her and her mother. Andromeda met her halfway and both witches sighed in relief. "Yes, while all of this is so very touching, I would like to eat." The moment was broken by Rodolphus who was looking at both women with thinly vield disdain. Nymphadora glared at him and turned to her mother. "Mum, what are you doing here? How did you get here? I was at the house it's-" "I'll answer all of your questions after dinner Dora, I'm sure you have more than those." Nymphadora nodded. Together they took their seats at the table. Lilith however remained standing for several more moments before taking the last remaining seat, next to Andromeda.

The dinner was suffocatingly quiet, no one spoke, only the light clatter of silverware filled the room. The atmosphere seemed to darken with every bite, Nymphadora was sure that she wasn't the only one to notice, but the rest of the dinner party seemed to be content to ignore it. She was about to speak when Rodolphus jumped up wand drawn and shot an _Avada_ at Bellatrix, the dark witch cackled and wandlessly blocked the spell with ease. She lunged at her husband who was unprepared for a physical assault, the married couple landed on the floor with a thud, Rodolphus taking most on the impact. Lilith and Narcissa were up as soon as they landed. Bellatrix was surprised when Rod headbutted her and further surprised by the following left hook. He was able to push Bellatrix off of him, just in time to be on the receiving end of a kick to the face from Narcissa. Rodolphus wheezed in pain and spat blood onto the floor. Bellatrix who had recovered from her husband's retaliation slipped the knife free and stabbed it through the middle Rodolphus' hand and into the floor . He screamed and she smiled and looked to Lilith who nodded. She grabbed both his legs and pulled him towards her. The goblin made knife did not budge as the flesh of the younger Lestrange brother's hand was pulled with the rest of his body; effectively slicing his hand in half. Rodolphus half sobbed before passing out. Bellatrix sighed in disappointment. "I was hoping he would put up more of a fight." "I was hoping we could get through this without damaging my dining room, Bella." Narcissa spoke sternly, glaring at the knife embedded in the floor. Bellatrix pouted, "The Dark Lord would have been mad if I slit his throat." "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" Nymphadora shouted in disbelief of what she had just witnessed. Lilith looked to Andromeda, "I suppose now would be a good time for you two to have that discussion. When you are done, come find me and I'll explain." Andromeda, who was also in shock of the events nodded dumbly and grabbed her daughter's hand, before leading her to her room.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**A/N:** Sorry this last update came so late, I was away from my laptop for most of the day. Anyway, here's the final update for this long weekend! I'll see you all later. Read, review, follow, fave and of course, enjoy!

* * *

Rodolphus woke to find himself strapped to a chair in the dungeon. Unbeknownst to him, it had been securely fastened to the ground. He struggled against the restraints, but they wouldn't give. He growled in frustration and struggled harder, his struggling left him completely unaware of the cane flying towards his face until it made solid contact with his jaw. Rodolphus was sure that he felt something crack. He looked in the direction of the attack and saw the satisfied face of Lucius. "You won't be able to slip out of those, we're nowhere near as incompetent as you." The smirk on the blonde man's face was infuriating. The door to the dungeon opened and closed, multiple footsteps were heard descending the stairs. "He's awake." Lucius informed the witches who had just arrived. Bellatrix smiled wickedly. "I have to say, I'm disappointed in you, husband. I would have thought that you were smart enough to realize that you were outclassed at dinner and decide to try to take us out one by one. That's what an intelligent person would have done." Her mind drifted to the image of an extremely intelligent witch, and she couldn't help but smile. She took her time approaching the imprisoned man, still smiling, and reached out to stroke his face. Rodolphus spat a thick mouthful of blood in her face. Bellatrix growled and dug her sharp nails into his face. The younger Lestrange brother yelled in pain, "You fucking bitch! I will end you! Just wait!" "Wait on what Rodolphus? The cavalry to arrive?" the smooth voice of Voldemort sounded as he stepped out of the shadows. "Did you think that your disloyalty would go unnoticed? That your walls were strong enough to keep your thoughts hidden?" Rodolphus paled at the sight of The Dark Lord, who was now standing beside Bellatrix. "We are going to make an example out of you." The reptilian looking man stated simply. Bellatrix cackled, blood still dripping down the side of her face, she brandished her wand and pointed it at him, or rather his hand to be more specific, he belatedly realized that he couldn't feel it when the spell struck. His hand throbbed as sensation quickly returned to him, and he was screaming once again.

* * *

Andromeda was looking at her daughter, at a loss of where to begin. So she began with the most recent events that lead to her staying at The Manor. "The Order, they came to the cottage. They tortured me trying to get information on the next moves The Dark would make." Nymphadora stared at her mother in shock. "But you don't know what they're planning, you didn't even know what was going on at dinner, how could you possibly know what they have planned for the war?" Andromeda looked away, "They've never liked me. All they really needed was an excuse to take out all of the anger and violence pent up from our years in school. Bella and Lilith were especially terrible to them, and I honestly could have done more to reign them in but.." There was a heavy silence as the older witch trailed off. "Why did you end up choosing Dad? If things on this side were so terrible, then why did you stay?" Andromeda was silent for several long moments before she finally looked up at her daughter, tears in her eyes. "I didn't choose him. I would never have chosen him. I only stayed because I was too afraid to come back, power is everything to this side and I was weak. Weak enough to be targeted by The Light, to have something slipped into drink without noticing, to remain with The Light after knowing what they had done. I am ashamed at how weak I have become, at how small I have made myself in order to not be seen as a threat. And I am tired of pretending to be something I'm not. Nymphadora, you know that I love you with all that I am, but I can no longer lie to myself, I belong with my family. I belong here. On this side." Nymphadora looked at her mother in shock, trying to process all she had said, but she got stuck on one thing, "Someone slipped something into your drink?" Andromeda nodded, "Yes, Amorentia...along with a lust potion. A few weeks after I drank it we created and tested the antidote in potions, but the damage had already been done."

* * *

Lucius watched as Antonin landed another solid right hook to the side of Rodolphus' face, who merely grunted on impact. That's all he could do now, Bellatrix and Lilith had worked him over and the man had screamed for so long and so loudly that he had torn the muscles in his larynx, according to his wife. Their Lord dropped his glamour and had conjured seats for them about an hour ago, while Bellatrix was still gleefully putting her skills to work, and from the gleam in her eye he could tell that she wasn't finished. Lilith was right, he wouldn't hold up against torture, it's a wonder The Order hadn't- Lucius sat up straighter as an idea came to mind. "My Lord," All eyes were now on him, even Antonin paused in his assault. "Yes Lucius? Would you like another turn? It seems Bella is feeling generous tonight." "No My Lord, I have an idea." The Dark Lord merely raised an eyebrow, a silent signal for him to continue. "We have been trying to find away to tip our next move to The Order without it being too terribly obvious that we want them to know, well our solution is right here. Not only that, but we would also be able to ascertain the location of The Order's current headquarters. Unfortunately Bella would have to give up her toy for a while." Voldemort smiled, "And you want to use Rodolphus. Brilliant. Would you mind Bella? I know they won't be able to torture him quite like you, but his stay won't be pleasant." Bellatrix replied immediately, "Of course My Lord, we wouldn't want to waste such an excellent opportunity." The Dark Lord stood, "Excellent, clean him up, we don't want them suspecting anything."

* * *

Nymphadora and Andromeda talked long into the morning, about everything, her mother had the unique experience of knowing what it was like on both sides of the war and the young Auror felt lost. She was unable to sleep for very long, her mind was too active, running wild with all that she had learned, it was too much. She had always felt like an outsider in The Order, she had always been too dark for them. But was she dark enough for this side? If what her mother sad was true and that The Dark only truly cared for power what was The Light fighting? Could she even consider them The Light after learning what they had done? Nymphadora found herself in front of a thick wooden door, she didn't bother knocking as she pushed it open. Books lined the walls, illuminated by a crackling fireplace. "Couldn't sleep?" Nymphadora's blood turned to ice as she recognized the voice. Her Aunt was looking out of a large window at the other side of the room. "N-No, I couldn't." The dark witch turned to her and she was shocked by how calm she seemed. "Sleep becomes a luxury in times like these." Bellatrix spoke, although it sounded like she was speaking more to herself than to her niece. "Judging by the look on your face I can see that she told what happened. Most of it at least." Nymphadora raised an eyebrow, "There's more?" Bellatrix chuckled darkly, and strode across the room, retrieved a decanter of firewhiskey and looked to the still sable haired Auror. "Oh my dear niece, there's always more."

* * *

Dumbledore awoke to several very pleasing bits of news Savage, an Auror who had ties with the light, had successfully managed to capture and detain Rodolphus Lestrange. He had owled the Headmaster, along with the rest of The Order, and the Death Eater's interrogation had probably already begun. It was no secret that the Lestranges were members of Tom's inner circle, so the chances of him having valuable information was quite high. He had also received a response from people sympathetic to their cause in the French Ministry, he could now count on at least 200 more wands when things came to a head. He tried not to get too smug about the way things were turning out but it was hard, things had been going smoothly for the most part, aside from his blunder with Hermione. But he was sure that she could be easily persuaded to rejoin their side, it wasn't as if she had another place to go. At breakfast the Golden Trio was still split, but the bookworm was not alone. Seated with her was the youngest Weasly, and they seemed to be involved in a very passionate conversation. He smiled to himself, even if Hermione couldn't stand the boys at the moment Ginny could also be used to keep her on their side. He looked to the rest of the staff seated at the table, Severus seemed to be brooding more than usual, and Minerva was clearly still miffed about his use of Amorentia but that could be fixed easily enough once the war had been won.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

**A/N:** Hey there readers, hope your weekend is going well. Here's part one for this weekend's update. I didn't know Mr. Granger's first name so I took creative liberties and named him myself. Anyway, read, review, follow, fave, and enjoy!

* * *

The last class of the day had ended and Hermione was sitting at her now usual spot near the Black Lake. She wasn't sure what she should do with the information that she had gathered from Bella, but it seemed that she didn't need to reveal anything. Tonks had written her two days ago letting her know that she had found her mother, and also warning her to be wary of The Order members within the castle walls. The warning was enough to tell the young bookworm that the Auror now truly knew what kind of position they had been unknowingly put in. She had to give The Dark credit, they knew their enemies well, something that she could no longer say that The Light also knew. Footfalls on the grass gained her attention, and she looked away from the lake. Draco and Pansy stood a few feet away from her. "Aren't you two worried about your reputations? What would your parents think?" The Gryffindor asked sarcastically. The Slytherins just shared a look and chuckled, Hermione eyed them for a moment before nodding. Draco and Pansy approached slowly, still wary of the witch's wand, she had turned it on them several times during their tentative truce. Bringing the love struck witch letters from Bellatrix only went so far when it came to her favor, and they both knew that she was aware that they were also trying to woo her to their side. As they sat down Hermione eyed them, they had become an odd pairing since the night Ron had confronted her. She had yet to ask why Pansy had been there, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. She sighed audibly, drawing the attention of her companions. "What's the matter Granger? Not enough homework to keep you occupied over the weekend?" Draco joked. Their banter was usually something she enjoyed, both Slytherins had a sharp wit and even when it was two on one she was always the victor. However, today was different. "What makes you think I would join you? Why me?" she asked, still staring out onto the lake. Draco was taken aback by the question, Pansy however was not, "You've always been a point of interest for us. Even before all of this. With very few exceptions you are one of the darkest witches here. Your actions over during schooling have only proved that point. The Light are idiots, but even they noticed." Hermione's brow furrowed, "I've only done what was necessary, to protect Harry." Draco chuckled, "Oh? And setting my godfather on fire was for the greater good?" Hermione gave him a surprised look. "Of course we knew it was you, no one else would have the balls." "Oh and don't forget what you did to all those damned pixies, that was impressive, but not as impressive as what you did to Professor Lockhart in the chamber." Pansy added casually. Hermione said nothing, it was true, the worst thing that the rest of the Golden Trio had done was make Draco eat slugs, and even that didn't work.

* * *

Bellatrix was glaring across the room at Andromeda, who was reading a book, she had been glaring for several minutes but the other woman was seemingly unaffected. She threw down the dossier and marched over to the couch where Andromeda was seated. Cold blue eyes of the only other occupant tracked the Death Eater's movements; Narcissa was curious to see where the confrontation led. While Andromeda's reasoning to switch sides was now known to the true Inner Circle, it did not mean that all had been forgiven. Bellatrix snatched the book from Andromeda's grasp and sneered at her, "Don't think you can just tell you little sob story and be welcomed back with open arms! The Dark Lord may trust you but I do not." Andromeda glared at her older sister for a moment before responding. "Are you saying that you are questioning His judgment? Quite an interesting statement for someone who is supposed to be his second in command." Narcissa jumped when she heard the snarl that left the Death Eater's throat. Bellatrix lunged, her hands intent on wrapping around her traitor sister's neck. However, Andromeda saw the move coming and kicked her older sister in the chest at the very last second. Bellatrix grunted and lost her balance, Andromeda was on her in a second. The second eldest Black reached out in Narcissa's direction, wordlessly summoning the blonde's wand, and jammed it against Bellatix's throat. "You all could have been dead ten times over if it weren't for the misinformation that I had given them! I would have had to bury you all! Do you really think I would stop caring about you.._my family_, even when I was a prisoner on the other side? After everything that we've been through? Are you daft?" There were tears in Andromeda's eyes as well as anger. Bellatrix and Narcissa were looking at their estranged sister in astonishment. "You...you summoned my wand." The statement made Andromeda freeze. Narcissa stood and walked over to her sisters, and sat down next to them, her eyes never leaving her wand. "You can still summon my wand...Oh, Andy!" The hug was a shock to both of the curly haired witches, but for very different reasons.

* * *

Lilith sat up, panting, her body covered in sweat. "What's the matter? Can't keep up anymore?" A voice teased. The smug face from the woman beside her made her angry, the corporate head growled and lunged at the older woman. The move took Lilith's target by surprise, and they landed on the floor with a thud. "Enough, Akiria. I don't have time for your games." The Asian woman smirked at their positioning and easily reversed it, pinning Lilith's hands above her head, her once dark brown eyes beginning to lighten. She leaned down, her lips teasingly brushing against the shell of Lilith's ear, "Oh, don't be that way. Besides, games are what we do best. And I haven't seen you in _so _long." The door opened and hurried footsteps approached the pair, "As much as I hate to interrupt, we have other matters to attend to. He thanks you for your assistance in this matter." Antonin spoke, breaking whatever was building in the atmosphere. Lilith internally sighed in relief as the woman above her reluctantly loosened the grip on her wrists. Lilith slid out from underneath and stood slowly, wincing slightly as she did so. She nodded to Akiria, who merely smirked in return. Gray eyes narrowed, and the indigo haired woman took half a step forward, but Antonin caught her arm and started for the door. "Hmph, no wonder He told me to go with you. Did you at least get what we came for?" Lilith rolled her eyes, "I had everything under control before we came here." Antonin glanced at her, "I'm sure you did, but to be honest I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it." Lilith huffed at his statement but said nothing.

* * *

Elijah sighed as he looked out the back window of his car, house visits were always dangerous, for both parties involved. As the car slowed to a stop he straightened out the jacket to his three piece suit before exiting. He walked quickly up the steps to the door of the house, took a deep breath and knocked. The door opened and a beautiful brunette opened the door, Elijah could see where her daughter got her looks. "Mrs. Granger?" he questioned, although he knew the answer already. The woman nodded. "I am Elijah Bolton," Hazel eyes sparked in recognition at the name. "Is your husband home? I'd like to speak with both of you." "Yes, yes of course. Please, come in." Jean Granger spoke hurriedly, stepping aside as she opened the door wider to allow the younger Bolton to enter. As they stepped further into the home Jean led Elijah to the living room, and simultaneously called out to her husband, "Owen? We have company!" After getting over the shock that the Elijah Bolton was in his home Owen Granger sat next to his wife. The three were silent for several moments before Owen spoke, "Mr. Bolton, how can we help you?" Elijah sat back in his chair, "Well, Mr. Granger, as you know my company Hammerstone Enterprises is very big on humanitarian aide. And we have been neglecting the issue of dental hygiene for quite some time, much to our dismay. We are putting a team together in order to rectify this. I have looked over your dossiers and I was so impressed with your work that I came here to personally extend an invitation to not only join, but head our team. You would have to travel, and of course all of your expenses would be paid. Not to mention you would be doing all of this for the best cause there is. To help your fellow man. What do you say?" Both of the Grangers were shocked by the news. "Is there time to think about it? We have a daughter, and she's away at..boarding school, we would also have to inform her if we make the decision to accept your very generous offer." Elijah smiled, "Of course take all the time you need. I'll leave you my card, so you can contact me with your decision. I will show myself out." The billionaire stood and headed for the door. Mr. Granger didn't turn his head in time to see Elijah reach for his wand.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**A/N:** Wow, this is the latest I've ever posted, but it still counts as Sunday right? Heh. *Dodges chair* Anyway here's part two of the weekend update! Read, review, follow, fave, and enjoy!

* * *

Dumbledore had received a troubling owl, Rodolphus had given up several pieces of vital information regarding the movements on Tom's side, with more details than Severus had ever been able to provide, including a planned attack on The Ministry in a few days time. What was most troubling was that The Golden Trio, was still currently a Duo. Not only that, but he had heard some troubling rumors that Hermione had been keeping company with Slytherins, two particular Slytherins to be exact. He had to give Tom credit, it was smarter to send people after her who were her own age, she would undoubtedly have her guard down around them. He had to think of a way to get her back on their side, and quickly. He sat at his desk deep in thought, rolling his wand between his fingers. Normally he would have been able to use her loyalty to Harry to steer her in the right direction, however with her allegiances in question and her newly formed distrust of both Harry and Ron he would have to find another way to remind her of the things that were at stake. He chuckled in satisfaction as a plan came to mind, and set about writing several letters.

* * *

Hermione wondered what Gods she had angered to be summoned, once again to the Headmaster's office. As she ascended the stairs, she readied herself for anything, as a comforting warmth began emanating from the ring. She knocked before entering, Dumbledore was seated at his desk, a grace look on his face. "Miss Granger, I will cut right to the point. I have some very troubling news. Yesterday, I received some information, Tom and His forces are planning to attack The Ministry. As you know, they favor two pronged attacks, I had an uneasy feeling and sent one of our allies to check on your parents. They were not home, but the neighbors told him that they had left...in the company of Elijah Bolton." Hermione's knees buckled for a moment, her chest and throat felt tight. "E-Elijah Bolton..as in Lilith?" Dumbledore nodded solemnly, "I'm afraid so. Believe me Hermione, we are doing everything we can to find them, unfortunately we are lacking the man power and resources. Especially sine you saw fit to distance yourself from us..." The old wizard trailed off and looked away. Hermione's body felt cold as Lilith's last words from their meeting in Hogsmede rang through her head.

-/-/-/

_'You know, I have found that purebloods aren't much different than muggles. We all have one glaringly obvious weakness. Pride. What do you think would happen if the head of an international company paid them a visit? Asked them to be a part of some charitable cause in some still developing country? Do you think they're humble enough to say no? The thing about places like those, they're very dangerous. Especially for doctors..even dentists with a camp full of medicine and little to no protection.'_

_-/-/-/_

Hermione let out a chocked gasp, and the Headmaster was right by her side, wrapping a comforting arm around her. "I know you're worried, but you may be able to get answers about their whereabouts soon enough." Hermione looked up at Dumbledore, confusion written across her face. "I have also received word that Tom plan's to make a move against The Ministry in just two short days. I believe it would be safe to assume that the one's behind the abduction of your parents would be present."

* * *

Bellatrix huffed and turned away from the scene before her, ever since Andromeda had summoned Narcissa's wand the two had been practically inseparable. She heard footsteps approaching from her left and turned to see Lilith. "Is Cissa in there? She asked me to come find her." "Oh she's in there, just not alone." Bellatrix huffed in response. Before Lilith could ask who was with her Bellatrix began to rant. "Who does Andromeda think she is? So what if she can still summon Cissa's wand? She couldn't betray her because she wasn't wholly involved yet! I'd be more impressed if she summoned mine, or even yours! But no, she just...are you alright?" Lilith had an uneasy look on her face, but nodded, "Yes, it's just that-" "Bella, what are you doing lurking outside? I thought I heard talking. Oh! There you are Lilith, was Bella holding you up?" Narcissa asked as she stepped through the doorway and joined the older witches in the hall. "Why wasn't I invited to you little tea party?" Bellatrix huffed. Narcissa rolled her eyes, "First, you have never liked my tea parties. Second, you know why." Bellatrix was about to retort when another voice cut in, "Are we moving the party out here Cissa?" Andromeda teased as she joined her little sister in the hall. Bellatrix bristled at the use of the nickname. The middle Black sister looked in the direction Narcissa was facing and was unsurprised by Bellatrix's presence. She was however surprised by Lilith's. Her heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. She took a couple of steps toward the sapphire haired witch, who's eyes widened at her approach. Andromeda took another step but Lilith broke their stare. "Sorry Cissa, I, no we, uh, have some final adjustments to do. Maybe some other time." Lilith grabbed Bellatrix's hand and started down the hallway. Bellatrix couldn't resist calling out over her shoulder, "Enjoy the tea party, _Andy_!" cackling until they turned the corner at the end of the hall.

* * *

The Dark Lord was in his study. He had received an owl from Draco, informing him that Hermione had been called into the Headmaster's office and had left rather upset. He could only guess that the old man had informed her of her parents' situation. She would be upset but it didn't matter, it would all be rectified soon enough. He was facing a difficult decision, should he wait two more days to attack The Ministry, or attack tomorrow night to ensure the advantage for their side. There was a knock at the door, before it opened, revealing Bellatrix. "You sent for me My Lord?" "Yes, as my second in command, I would like your opinion on something." Bellatrix bowed, "You honor me, My Lord." Voldemort waved his hand, "It it you who honors me with such devotion. Now, to the matter at hand, I have found myself at a loss. What do you think would be best? To allow Rodolphus' information to be accurate? Or to move the time line up a day?" Bellatrix looked pensive, "Both could cause problems, if we allow Rod to remain accurate, we allow The Order to prepare. Even with eyes on the inside there's no guarantee that they will be able to get the word out in time to warn us properly." Voldemort nodded and watched at his lieutenant began pacing. "However, if we rush in, we may run into problems that may not have been there if we stuck to the original plan of attack. But that old coot may be suspicious if we stick to the plan, even after knowing that Rod has been captured. He's only a bit less dim than the rest of them. He may even be banking on the fact that we would get antsy and already have preparations in place. Either way we'll be totally unprepared for what they have planned. So why not get it over with?" The curly haired witch concluded, eyes shinning with excitement. The Dark Lord chuckled and stood. "Very well Bella, tell the others. I'm sure they will be as excited as you."

* * *

"We're what?!" Bellatrix sighed, "We're moving on The Ministry tomorrow night. What is so hard to understand?" "Maybe the fact that we hadn't planned for that!" Lucius shouted. "Honestly Lu, what's the problem, tomorrow night, the night after, is there really a difference?" The blonde man made a face, "Well I had..plans for that evening." Antonin laughed, "Oh yeah? We can't move ahead with the plan because you'd rather get your dick wet? I can't say I blame you, but seriously, we've cased the place proficiently enough to handle any night. Who plans on fucking anyway? Is that what married life is like? Bloody hell." Bellatrix looked at her brother-in-law with disgust, the conversation had clearly taken an unpleasant and unwanted turn for her. Lilith was in much the same state, having always considered the blonde woman her baby sister. "Moving on, we all know we're ready, you all know how it works." Bellatrix's voice cut in. "Ready the troops, select your group carefully, and come back alive." Antonin, Lucius, and Lilith chorused in response. Everyone in the room was grinning, and the atmosphere began to turn bloodthirsty. They were ready for things to begin.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**A/N: **Hey everyone! It's time for the weekend update. I hope you all enjoy it. But before we start I thought I should let you know that I have decided to make this a series. The next part of the series will be the next story arc, kind of like seasons I suppose. Anyway no need to worry, I've already begun work on the second part. Back to the matter at hand, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Read, review, follow, fave, and enjoy!

* * *

The energy in The Manor had changed drastically come morning. An excited, slightly nervous energy had consumed everything. The foot soldiers had been informed of the situation in the early hours of the morning, and they were now waiting to see if they would be picked to be a part of The Ministry raid. The members of the true Inner Circle had been entrusted to head the groups during the raid and they weren't very impressed by the newest Death Eaters. Antonin sighed, "How is it that I've only found two viable candidates? Two! We each need at least seven." Lucius nodded, "It seems that the bar that has been set to call oneself a villain has lowered dramatically since we were in school." "Once this is all over I'm sure Our Lord will allow us to thin the herd." Antonin stated excitedly. Lucius chuckled darkly in agreement. "I'm just hoping we have a good share of traitors and deserters. When this is all over I'm going to get bored." Bellatrix added wistfully. "Well seeing as we're aiming for world domination, like self-respecting villains, I'd say you wouldn't have to worry about being bored for a while." Lilith stated, never taking her eyes off of the file in front of her. The process took all morning and into the early afternoon, but they were finally able to amass enough wizards and witches to proceed with the raid.

* * *

Hermione had woken to a strange feeling, it was so intense that she could barely eat anything for breakfast. She felt fidgety all throughout her morning lessons, and the feeling only seemed to intensify the later it became. Around lunchtime she could hardly stand it, and others were beginning to notice how on edge she was. Draco had sent her a questioning look, which she replied to with a murderous glare. He quickly averted his gaze. For once she was thankful for the midday study break period, and headed for the library instead of the lake. She had gotten a third of the way through her herbology report when a voice interrupted her train of thought. "You know, if you press any harder, you're going to end up writing on the table."Hermione looked up to see Ron giving her a boyish grin. She scowled and was going to tell the redhead to get bent, but another voice chimed in. "Now's not the time Ron." Harry smiled apologetically at the bookworm, who stopped scowling but said nothing. "You seemed upset after talking to Dumbledore, is everything alright?" The green eyed boy continued. The mere mention of the meeting had the hazel eyed girl gritting her teeth in anger. "Oh, so you just assumed I'd be more willing to associate with you two while I'm upset? That I'd just open up because you decided to temporarily pull your heads out of your asses?" Ron was now the scowling, but Harry spoke before he could make the situation worse. "I know we haven't been the best friends lately,no matter what happened I always knew I could count on you, and I hate that it's taken me this long to realize that I haven't been there for you at all, the exact opposite, really. But something's happening, and we need you. We've always needed you. " Hermione looked at Harry skeptically, he'd avoided her since they had gotten back from break and plotted to have her become Ron's mindless love slave, but The Dark had just kidnapped her parents. She wasn't sure who she could trust. "There's supposed to be an attack on The Ministry tomorrow. Dumbledore told me. Maybe it's just jitters, but I have a feeling he's wrong." Hermione said reluctantly. Ron scoffed at her disbelief, or maybe because he thought she knew the timing of the attack, she honestly didn't care. Harry glanced at the chair beside her before looking at her with questioning eyes, Hermione nodded and he say down, Ron sat across from them as Hermione began to form a plan of attack.

* * *

It was now late evening and the energy in The Manor had once again changed. The excitement was still there, but the nervousness had now been replaced with bloodlust. Bellatrix was prowling the halls of The Manor when she saw a familiar head of blue hair come around the corner. She smirked and hid in the shadows of the doorway, just as her target passed she struck, pinning Lilith against the wall. "Did I surprise you?" The older witch asked, leaning back slightly to see the eldest Bolton's face. "Hardly. You aren't very good at suppressing your magic when you're excited." Lilith responded doing her best to look unimpressed. Bellatrix let out a sultry chuckle and pressed her body against the one she held captive, "Oh, I've been excited _all_ day."she only received a shuddered exhalation in response. The curly haired witch grinned widely, "We haven't been on a raid together in years, the tension is practically killing me. Any suggestions?" Lilith gave her a smoldering smile, "Shouldn't you be saving this for your little lion?" Bellatrix quirked an eyebrow at the question, having expected to hear Lilith's voice. She turned her head to see Narcissa standing with her arms crossed, slightly sneering at them. "Cissa, I'd suggest you find your husband, he's probably in a similar state." The eldest Black retorted, not stepping away from Lilith. "Do you have any idea what this would do to Andy if she found you two instead of me?" Bellatrix shrugged, "Honestly, that was part of the appeal." Narcissa glared at both of them, Lilith sighed and broke free from Bellatrix's grasp and walked down the hall. The charcoal eyed woman pouted as her friend retreated and turned to her baby sister. "Do you always have to ruin my fun?" Narcissa rolled her eyes, "Stop being so childish and self-centered; this is the first time we've all been together in years, and I won't have you ruining it out of spite." Bellatrix scoffed, "It would do her some good to walk-in on someone fucking the "love of her life". Then maybe she'd know what she put Lilith through. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got several letters to write."

* * *

Hermione had concluded that the quickest and most efficient way to get to The Ministry was to create an unauthorized PortKey. They would be able to get most if not all of Dumbledore's Army to the location to back up the Aurors on site and hopefully be able to create a drop in morale in the other camp by gaining a victory. Hermione had read enough about PortKeys to know that they were complicated and tricky things to make. She hoped that she had enough time before the attack to successfully create the PortKey and create a plan to get all the non-Gryffindor members of the DA to said PortKey without getting caught. Choosing an item to enchant was the simple part, she transfigured a piece of parchment paper into a book and got to work. The ring on her finger was glowing as she set about placing the proper spellwork in place. She was shocked at how she was able to quickly set it up, she had plenty of time to devise a plan for the meeting and transportation, but looking at the clock she decided to take a break. She had just cracked open Andromeda's journal when Harry and Ron ran down the stairs and into the common room looking distressed. "A just got a patronus from Dumbledore." Hermione looked at him alarmed and shrunk the book, sliding it into her pocket.

* * *

Andromeda looked at the clock, it was fifteen minutes passed midnight, witching hour had begun. That mean that the raiding party would be leaving soon. "You'd think you'd get used to it, that feeling of dread in your stomach. I wish I could tell you that it gets easier. Lucius has been on countless raids, and yet every one still feels like the first. And it only gets worse after they leave, and you're left waiting and hoping for their return." Narcissa spoke as she gazed into the fire crackling softly within the fireplace. "How can you stand it?" Andromeda asked, her gut twisting with worry. Her younger sister shook her head, "I'm not sure that I do." The blonde woman glanced at the clock and stood, taking a deep breath she walked to the window and silently stood. Andromeda moved to stand beside her, and the two watched as the chosen Death Eaters silently began to file out of The Manor. Half of them mounted brooms and took off immediately, the other half stood waiting for ten more minutes before two more Death Eaters emerged from The Manor. Each of them carrying a PortKey. The leaders of the remaining groups nodded to each other as the Keys were set down, their groups circled around each one, linked arms, and were gone. It was now thirty minutes passed midnight, and the Ministry Raid had begun.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**A/N:** Holy crap guys, I'm so sorry. My dinosaur of a laptop decided to bite the dust before Saturday night and it took me longer than expected to get the cash together to get a new one. But I've gotten everything all synced up and ready to go. So no worries. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Have a great and safe weekend!

* * *

Neville, Seamus, Cormac, and much to the Trio's dismay Ginny were now all in a circle around the newly created PortKey. Dumbledore's patronus had been short but informative, the raid on The Ministry had been moved up, the Headmaster had guessed it might happen and put the word out to their allies to be on alert, but the bookworm doubted that they had made enough preparations to sway the battle in their favor on such short notice. The Gryffindors nodded to each other and linked arms. Harry took a deep breath and grabbed the book. The world spun and landed them all in a world that was significantly more chaotic. Spells were flying everywhere, taking off chunks from the walls when they missed, and from victims when their hit their intended target. It was hard to tell what was going on, but by the looks of the bodies littering the floor, The Dark had the upper hand. The group of students were stunned, and their arrival went unnoticed, until Seamus was hit in the arm by a stray slicing hex. He screamed, drawing the attention of several people in the main lobby, on both sides. "Split up!" Hermione heard herself shout as she sprinted for cover. Her back slammed against an outcropping on the wall and silently thanked the architects for their love of Gothic Era structures. Debris from the wall shattered overhead, covering the bookworm in dust. She risked a glance around her temporary sanctuary, and quickly ducked back down as another barrage of spells were sent in her direction. She waited for the succession of spells to slow and took her chance. She pushed herself off of the wall and sprinted for her opponent, the move caught the Death Eater off guard and his hesitation to raise a shield in time earned him a slicing hex right to the neck. The spray of blood garnered a gasp, but not from Hermione. The gryffindor looked to see Harry staring between her and the body of the Death Eater, shock and disgust clearly marring his features. Hermione wanted to roll her eyes at the chosen one and remind him that this was war, and that if they didn't fight to stay alive then they wouldn't be alive much longer. She opened her mouth to express that sentiment, but a sudden burning pain up her arm, made her yell in surprise. She whipped her head around and mentally berated herself for forgetting that they were in a battlefield. She would coddle Harry later, for now she had to save The Ministry.

* * *

Bellatrix cackled as she took on three Unspeakables at once. She had always admired their brutality, but it seemed as if they were out of practice. She easily disarmed her first opponent, lazily throwing up a shield to block the two hexes sent in retaliation. She ducked a spell from her left and pulled a throwing knife from her boot as she spun to face the wizard on her right. She outstretched her arm and watched with glee as the goblin made knife embedded itself in his throat. His wand slipped through his fingers as his body fell to the floor. The unarmed Unspeakable yelled with rage and charged at her, she smirked at the reckless move and flicked her wand, in an instant all of his bones in his arms and legs were broken, some even protruding from his skin. "Do you like that? I've been wanting to test it out for ages." She spoke over his screams. She looked to the last Unspeakable, the slight tremor in his wand arm not going unnoticed. She wandlessly summoned her throwing knife from his fallen comrade's neck, and flashed him a deadly smile. There was a flash of green and the Unspeakable fell to the floor, Bellatrix stomped her foot "He was MINE!", "Didn't you ever learn not to play with your food? Besides, if I recall correctly we are the distraction. Find Lilith and get things started." Lucius replied. Bellatrix rolled her eyes but nodded and set off to find her friend.

* * *

Lilith blocked a spell and fired several back, shredding her opponent's defenses. Her slicing hex hit the Auror in the neck, leaving her reminiscent of Nearly Headless Nick. A spell came from her right which she managed to block, but just barely. She turned to face her opponent and was shocked to see the enraged face of her daughter. "What are you doing here?" Nymphadora laughed humorlessly in response, "I should be asking you the same thing. Attacking The Ministry, are you mad?!" Lilith sighed, "It's not that simple. I have a job to do." Nymphadora looked at Lilith grimly and readied herself, "So do I." Lilith looked disappointed, "If that's how you want to do things, I'll humor you." The dig worked and Nymphadora went on the attack, sending spells flying. "Your attacks are sloppy, overwhelming your opponent with sheer volume only works if they have a weak defense." The critique only served to make the Auror angrier, she lunged for the older woman intending to use her fists in place of spells only to receive a brutal kick to the chest that had her on her back gasping for air. "Did you really think you could catch me off guard with such a blatantly telegraphed move? What exactly did you learn while you were training to become an Auror?" Lilith's voice was monotone and Nymphadora was seething. On some level she knew that she shouldn't be getting as angry as she was but at that moment she didn't really care. She fired off a brutal stunner before she sat up, the move broke through Lilith's defenses and the young Auror took advantage. She fired off several more stunners and a few slicing hexes, all of them hitting their mark. Lilith was slammed against the opposite wall during the onslaught and now had blood dripping from her mouth and left arm. Nymphadora began to close the distance between them but she halted her advance as a chuckle left the sapphire haired woman. "Oh, you have so much potential. I'm so proud of you for how far you've come Nymphadora, I truly am. But now I have to show you how much farther you have to go." Before Nymphadora could react and put distance between them Lilith launched herself off the wall, muttering spells as the distance between them became smaller. Nymphadora threw up a shield that was shattered as soon as the first spell hit it, she was left open to the rest of the attack. She dropped to the ground screaming as she felt her blood boiling inside her body, she felt as if her skin was being ripped off inches at at time, and every breath felt as if someone was pouring acid down her throat. Lilith watched in silence, until her daughter passed out from the pain before lifting the spells. A flash of light to her left was the only indicator of the sneak attack.

The spell bounced off a shield harmlessly, and Bellatrix stepped out from the shadows. "Now attacking someone when they aren't looking isn't very sporting love." Hermione revealed herself from a rather large chunk of ceiling, "Since when do either of you care about sporting? Last I checked, hunting down and abducting Muggles was the least sporting thing you could possibly do!" Bellatrix looked to Lilith who shrugged and sat down next to her daughter and began stroking her hair. Bellatrix grinned and took a few steps forward, "Don't play for too long Bella we're still on a schedule." Lilith reminded her friend. Bellatrix waved her hand in acknowledgment and smiled as Hermione held her ground as she approached. "Did you ever wonder why old Dumbledore had wizards at your parents' house in the first place? I doubt they regularly get checked on." Hermione growled and shot off a slicing hex, "Shut up! I don't want to hear what you have to say for yourself." Bellatrix easily deflected the hex and fired off two of her own in retaliation. Hermione's shield only blocked one before it broke, she jumped to her right to dodge the last one. "Not looking at every possible angle? Ignoring facts? That's not like you, darling." Bellatrix tutted. "Don't talk to me as if you know me. As a matter of fact don't talk at all." The bookworm said before launching another attack. Bellatrix didn't even bother to raise a shield, choosing instead to gracefully duck and sidestep each hex. "If you truly meant that your spells wouldn't be so weak. I'm simply suggesting that things aren't always what they seem." the curly haired witch quickly ducked another spell shot her way, "Then please enlighten me! I'm sick of these games Bellatrix." Bellatrix chuckled, "Maybe if you asked nicely, I'd be more inclined to tell you." Hermione glared at the older witch who only smirked in return. "Time's up Bella." Lilith's voice broke through the rising tension. Bellatrix sighed, "Very well. I've got work to do, but don't worry we'll chat again soon." Bellatrix fired a powerful stunner at the bookworm as soon as she finished speaking, catching Hermione off guard. It hit her in the chest, and her vision swam, she watched as Lilith and Bellatrix walked down a nearby hallway before everything went black.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**A/N:** Hello readers, here is part two of the weekend update, and also the last chapter for this part of the story. So a season finale of sorts. Like I said I've already started working on the "second season" of the series. Hopefully I'll have the first two chapters ready for you guys within the next two weeks. Thank you all for the reviews, follows, and faves. They've meant a lot. Anyway, enjoy the season finale and I'll see you all soon!

* * *

Hermione woke with a gasp, she looked around. The battle was still raging, and it was hard to tell which side was winning. The events that preceded her blackout came rushing back and she jumped to her feet. Her head throbbed painfully and she groaned slightly. "Are you alright?" Nymphodora asked, her voice still hoarse from screaming. Hermione nodded, she desperately wanted to check on her friend, but she also needed to catch up with Bellatrix and Lilith and put a stop to whatever they were plotting. Noting the conflict in her friend's hazel eyes Nymphadora waved her hand, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Not many of them are of Lilith's caliber. Or Bellatrix's for that matter. Go, you've got to stop them." Hermione nodded and took off in the direction she had last seen the Death Eaters depart. The hallway was dark and winding, the further she walked the less she could see and sounds from the battle slowly slipped away until all she could hear were her own footsteps and ragged breathing. For several long minutes she was worried that she had missed a turn or had given the two dark witches enough time to complete their task. Her stomach dropped at the thought of failing to save The Ministry. She shook her head trying to clear those thoughts away and kept moving forward. "Shit!" Hermione froze and covered her mouth at the swear, until she realized she was not the one who had said it. Cautiously she continued down the hallway. She saw both Bellatrix and Lilith standing in from of tow massive double doors, their backs to her, wands waving furiously. Hermione's first instinct was to confront them, but she stopped herself. She knew she was good, but she wasn't good enough to take on either of them without back up, not to mention if her attack wasn't strong enough she would have to face off with both of them. So she grit her teeth and decided to wait and see what the witches were up to before taking action. Several more minutes passed before the last ward protecting the doors finally fell. Bellatrix and Lilith pushed a door open and slipped inside. Hermione waited several seconds before following them in.

* * *

The room was massive and alight with an eerie glow. Partly from the moonlight streaming in for the skylight above, but mostly from the glow of the golden sand encased within an enormous hourglass. Grains of sand were also floating around the room, some shining like stars against the night sky. Others flowing like ribbons as if they were being pulled by an invisible wind. Bellatrix smiled at the sight, and looked to Lilith who looked just as awestruck. She nudged the slightly shorter witch, who nodded, and both began to breathe deeply.

Hermione watched from her hiding space behind a large pillar, the inaction of the witches was putting her on edge. She bit her lip as grains of sand found their way into the gash on her arm, and took slow and steady deep breaths to try to ignore the pain.

"I can't believe we're actually here." Lilith said softly as she slowly walked toward the hourglass. Bellatrix nodded, and watched as her friend placed a hand on the glass before turning to face her. Bellatrix let her wand slip from it's place in her sleeve and rolled it between her fingers. "I've waited a long time to do this." She said, smiling as she flicked her wand sending a slicing hex directly at the other Death Eater. It landed with such force that Lilith's body caused the hourglass to crack when she was thrown against it. Bellatrix watched as blood poured out of the wound from Lilith's stomach, and readied herself for her next move. Lilith was struggling to stand, any move she made caused searing pain and she could tell she was losing a dangerous amount of blood. Bellatrix flexed her jaw a few times as she watched Lilith finally stand, but said nothing.

Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing. Had The Dark Lord ordered Bellatrix to take out Lilith? Was this an act of defiance before the curly haired witch switched sides? Her mind was racing with possibilities but none of them made any sense. Her eyes widened as she saw the slightest movement of Bellatrix's wand arm. She moved before she could stop herself, running across the room to push Lilith out of the way. It seemed as if time had slowed, the young witch's heart was pounding as she saw the spell leave Bellatrix's crooked wand. She realized simply running, she wouldn't reach the blue haired woman in time. Using every ounce of strength she could muster she leapt forward, her body colliding with Lilith's. She saw the horror on Bellatrix's face, seconds before the spell crashed into her ankle.

* * *

Bellatrix stood in shocked silence at the events that had taken place. She was unsure why she hadn't noticed that they were being watched, or how Hermione had even regained consciousness fast enough to be able to follow them. "Shit." A pained laugh from a few feet away drew her attention to Lilith, who was just laying on the marble floor, making no attempts to move or get up. Bellatrix rushed to her side, "Are you alright?" Lilith nodded, "I'll live, we need to get back to The Manor, Our Lord must know what's happened." Bellatrix grimaced at the thought of his reaction to the news, but nodded and helped Lilith stand. Tossing her friend's arm around her shoulders, they slowly made their way back to the battle. Nymphadora was waiting at the opening of the hallway she had seen Hermione go down with her wand drawn. However, her strong stance and determined face faltered as soon as she saw Bellatrix and Lilith. "What happened? Where's Hermione?" Bellatrix looked at her niece grimly, "If you want to know the truth, then you have to come with us. There's no other way. The war has begun and sitting on the fence is no longer an option." Nymphadora looked conflicted for a few moments before nodding. Lucius was the first to see the trio, and he immediately knew that something had gone awry. He quickly joined then and shot out the signal to retreat.

Word of the return of the raiding party had the entire Manor in a flurry of activity. Narcissa and Andromeda were helping set up the infirmary when Bellatrix and Nymphadora came bursting in holding Lilith, Lucius following a step behind. Narcissa paled at the state of her friend and quickly motioned to the cot in front of her, and quickly set to work murmuring healing spells. Andromeda shook off the shock as well and ran to get blood replenishing potions. Lilith was barely conscious as Andromeda carefully poured the elixirs down her throat. Nymphadora hadn't let go of her mother's hand since she was laid down, she opened her mouth to speak when the doors violently burst open. Voldemort strode through the infirmary, looking at each of his injured soldiers until he saw his Inner Circle at the back of the infirmary. He strode powerfully towards the group, and did not hide his shock to see Lilith laying on the bed unconscious. He looked to Bellatrix, before looking back down to the Death Eater on the cot. "We will have a meeting once she has regained consciousness. Not a minute later. If you're lucky, you both will end up back in the infirmary and not in your graves." Bellatrix hastily bowed, "Yes My Lord, thank you My Lord." Voldemort said nothing further to acknowledge his lieutenant, choosing instead to leave the infirmary in a whirl of robes. Nyphadora released the shaky breath that she was holding and looked at the faces of the rest of her family. By the looks of it, things hadn't gone according to plan. At all.

* * *

Hermione grunted as she landed rather ungracefully on her face. She slowly stood up and looked around and was confused to find herself staring at the Hogwarts castle. "What the hell?" She wondered aloud as she walked closer to the school. A figure emerged from the castle, heading towards her with a fast pace. "And just what do you think you're doing being out of bed so late?" The Scottish lilt was a dead give away to the identity of the figure and Hermione found herself feeling relieved. "Oh Professor, something..." Hermione's train of though was halted as she took in the appearance of her favorite professor. She looked several decades younger, her hair had more color than gray. "I pride myself on knowing every student that's walked through the halls of this school since I've been employed here, but I don't know you." Minerva spoke as she eyed Hermione warily. "Professor, would you mind telling me what year it is?" Hermione asked, her stomach rolling at the conclusion that her mind had come to.


	22. Author's Note

Hello readers,

This is an Author's Note for those of you who follow the story but not me. I'm happy to report that the second story arc has been posted, and you can read it by following the link I've posted below. The first two chapters are already up, I hope you enjoy them if you choose to continue to follow the series. Have a fantastic weekend! Once again, thank you for the reviews, follows, and faves.

~ShamanInk

Link:  s/11388581/1/


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